BENGALURU: Senior BJP leader and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa said three surveys conducted by the party have given it 130 to 140 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections.
“I have been in politics for the last 50 years and I know the pulse of the people. With the cooperation of all MPs from Karnataka and under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we will return to power,” he told reporters here.
The Lingayat strongman reiterated that he will not contest the elections. Yediyurappa said that he will travel to all 224 constituencies in the state in the next 2-3 days. “I have already spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard. All our MPs will stay in their respective districts. We will work to ensure that the BJP candidates win by a huge margin,” he added. He also reiterated that no one will quit the party.
On the issue of reservation, Yediyurappa said the government has not done any injustice to Muslims. “One should not mislead... reservation cannot be given based on religion,” he said.
On protest by Banjaras over the reservation, he said, “We are trying to convince them. There could be some misunderstanding. Throughout the state, everybody is happy. Only in one or two places, such incidents have happened,” he said.
On ticket distribution, he said that the party's high command will take a final call. “Based on our reports, tickets will be given to winnable candidates... those who are not given tickets, will work for the party,” he added.
Yediyurappa also took a dig at the Congress saying Rahul Gandhi is no match for PM Narendra Modi. “In Karnataka, a few of them (Congress leaders) are daydreaming of becoming CM. It will not happen. Congress will not win more than 70 seats,” he claimed