BENGALURU: BJP has been trying to attract all sectors to bolster their vote banks, and among them, a sizable population is that of migrants, who do not speak Kannada. To connect with them, the saffron camp has deployed young MLAs and party workers.
BJP sources said that around 50 young leaders are working alongside party candidates in various constituencies. The leaders include Gujarat legislator Hardik Patel, who led the Patidar movement, VD Sharma, Madhya Pradesh BJP chief, Maharashtra legislator Vinod Tawde, Surat legislator Pravin Ghoghari, and Manish Jaiswal from Jharkhand.
They are in Bengaluru to improve the party’s performance in key constituencies like BTM Layout, Mahadevapura Zone, CV Raman Nagar, Byatarayanapura, and Bengaluru South, where a substantial number of Hindi-speakers reside.
Hardik Patel, who has been assigned the BTM constituency, told TNIE, “Hindi-speakers comprise more than 25 per cent of voters, who all want BJP to retain power. They want the development model of Gujarat to be replicated in the state.”
VD Sharma has been allotted Malleswaram constituency. During his two-day visit, he said, “We formed small groups and interacted with the voters, especially the first-timers.” He also said that he had spoken to many residents who are from North Indian and businessmen.
He claims that they have responded positively about voting for BJP. Manish Jaiswal, who is working in Yesvantpur constituency to take the migrant voters into confidence, has been interacting with grassroots workers and conducting door-to-door campaigns.
They have also released their manifesto in multiple languages including in English, Hindi and Telugu. Leaders from Tamil Nadu and Kerala have also been roped in to campaign. First-time voters will also receive a letter from BJP to vote for the party.