NEW DELHI: Ahead of the high-stake Karnataka Assembly elections, the BJP chief Amit Shah is eyeing to wean away scores of senior state Congress leaders in the coming weeks. Shah is learnt to have slotted former Union Minister S M Krishna for key campaign role.
In a key strategy meeting last week, which was presided over by Shah and attended by Union Ministers Prakash Javadekar and Piyush Goyal, besides the party’s state in-charge P Muralidhar Rao and chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, sources said the saffron outfit decided that it would seek to wean away key state Congress leaders with an aim to weaken the morale of the ruling party and the incumbent Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah.
Within the BJP, the Karnataka polls are being seen as one that will set trend for the crucial Assembly battles in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh later this year.“The BJP chief is holding regular meetings on Karnataka. Internal assessments suggest it will be a tough fight leading up to a close finish. Siddaramaiah is being viewed as the principal roadblock for the BJP from bagging the southern state in its kitty,” said a BJP source close to Shah, adding that the party would be throwing its doors open for several formidable Congress leaders who have a potential to swing the outcome.
Incidentally, the BJP chief has in the recent past shown extra zeal to induct leaders from Opposition ranks who are seen as resourceful, besides enjoying mass voter support base.“If there are leaders in the Opposition camp who are better placed to win elections and willing to cross the fence, then the BJP will welcome them with open arms. There are many Congress leaders in Karnataka who have reached out to us. We’ve asked them to wait for a while,” the source added.
Even while the BJP is drawing a long list of campaigners for the state polls, the saffron outfit is seeking to bank on Krishna to consolidate the party’s appeal among the middle class and urban voters in the state.
“Krishna is an urbanite face with acceptability among the middle class. The BJP will make optimum use of his services,” the source said.
As Parliament remained paralysed for the past fortnight, the BJP chief is learnt to have been making good use of the time making strategies and examining the inputs received from the ground in Karnataka.
“Besides Punjab, Karnataka is the only large state still remaining with the Congress. If the BJP could wrest the southern state, it will take a heavy toll on the morale of Congress workers across the country. Thus, a BJP victory in Karnataka is key not just for Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, but also for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections,” a top BJP source said.