Upbeat BJP keen to regain Karnataka

Bengaluru: Its impressive win in Maharashtra and Haryana has  now given BJP hope of reviving its fortunes in  Karnataka.  Its central leadership has instructed the state unit to launch a membership drive and strengthen the party organisation here, according to sources.

“Our next targets are Karnataka and Assam. We want to win the coming gram panchayat and local body elections as this will help us expand our organsiational base in villages,” explained a BJP functionary.  

As part of its attempt to consolidate its position in Karnataka, the BJP state unit has also planned to stage a protest against the Siddaramaiah government’s ‘mismanagement’ of power issues.
But the immediate focus will be on the membership drive with the state BJP president’s term coming to an end next year, and elections also due in 2015 for the posts of the party’s mandal president and taluk and district presidents,  reveals a senior BJP member.

Meanwhile, senior leader from Andhra Pradesh, P. Murulidhar Rao has replaced Mr Thawar Chand Gehlot as in-charge of Karnataka in the BJP, with the latter joining the Modi cabinet as minister for social justice and empowerment.

“Mr. Rao will take charge of the Karnataka BJP unit after Diwali. “He is the seniormost leader in the BJP in Andhra Pradesh  and was earlier in charge of Tamil Nadu.

“His appointment as Karnataka in-charge will help the party here because he is an organisation man and has worked actively in the  ABVP in the past,” said a senior state BJP leader .

Mr. Rao is expected to visit Karnataka next week and hold a meeting with state BJP leaders on various issues that need addressing in the organization, say sources.