BJP leaders of the state are happy with the anointment of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as the party’s Prime Ministerial candidate in next year’s Lok Sabha elections.
State BJP president Prahlad Joshi told Express that the rank and file of the state unit was happy with the decision and it would have a positive impact on the party’s prospects in Karnataka.
Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar said Modi was now acceptable to everyone, particularly the youth. In November last year, Delhi leaders had convened a meeting of BJP chief ministers to elicit their opinion on projecting Modi as the party’s PM candidate. “I was one among several other CMs who welcomed such a move. Under Modi’s leadership, the BJP will win more Lok Sabha seats across the country and NDA will come to power at the Centre,” he said. Shettar said recent surveys conducted by the newspapers and magazines have shown that Modi was the best person to lead the country. A pro-Modi wave in Karnataka will definitely help the BJP win maximum number of seats, he added.
Former deputy chief minister K S Eshwarappa thanked BJP national president Rajnath Singh for anointing Modi as PM’s candidate. “The party workers will now work with more vigour to install a NDA government,” he said.