BENGALURU: Within 12 days of taking charge as BJP state president, Nalin Kumar Kateel has travelled across seven districts, and in the next week, plans to cover most of the remaining parts of the state. Unlike his predecessor BS Yediyurappa, who has a pan-Karnataka appeal, Kateel had mostly confined his activities to coastal Karnataka. Now, he is trying to reach out to party workers and leaders across the state.
Kateel, who took charge on August 27, has travelled to Bengaluru Urban, Ramanagara, Tumakuru, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru and was in Hubballi-Dharwad on Saturday. Later this week, he will travel to Bidar, Kalaburagi and other parts of Kalyana Karnataka.“Wherever he goes, he interacts with BJP workers and builds a rapport with them,’’ said a senior BJP leader.
“Kateel is a leader from Dakshina Kannada and holds sway over coastal Karnataka, but has realised that he cannot limit himself to one region. He is telling the workers that he rose from being a party worker to party president, and this can happen only in the BJP. This message encourages them to get involved in party-building activities,’’ sources said.
“Karnataka is a unique state, every 25km there is variation in culture. In some regions, our workers are more aggressive, in some places, they are calm and composed. It’s a challenge for Kateel to take all of them along.’’
At a recent Core Committee meeting in Bengaluru, Kateel involved BBMP councillors and urged them to be part of party-building activities. “Earlier, the Core Committee in Bengaluru was dominated by Minister R Ashoka. Kateel wants to reach out to every last person,” sources said. Kateel faces a big challenge: the upcoming bypolls.
“Bypolls normally favour the ruling government, so there is no pressure on him since we are in the ruling party. This is the best time for him to travel and build the party. He will also gain exposure to party workers and their demands,’’ a leader said.