The Hindu : Front Page : Yeddyurappa will be cynosure of all eyes

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Friday, Sep 12, 2008
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Yeddyurappa will be cynosure of all eyes

S. Rajendran and B.S. Satish Kumar

Elaborate preparations for three-day BJP meet

Hi-tech Volvo buses for leaders and delegates
25 VVIPs expected to be present

BANGALORE: Bangalore has been decked and in a way “saffronised” for the three-day national executive meet of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) beginning from Friday. It is another matter that there are only eight members from Karnataka, including Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, in the nearly 250 member BJP national executive but a large-scale machinery has been put in place to make the event a success.

The Chief Minister, given the nature of the importance of the meet, is himself in the forefront of the preparations. Added to this are the BJP legislators elected from Bangalore constituencies who are keen on using the opportunity to promote themselves.

In the bargain, buntings and posters have surfaced all over the city, particularly in the vicinity of the Residency Road where the meeting will take place, parts of Basavangudi since the National College ground will play host for a major public meeting, and in the vicinity of the Chief Minister’s residence on Race Course Road leave alone the international airport road.

By 2 p.m. on Sunday, the meet is expected to wind up.

Although Bangalore has played host on three earlier occasions for a similar national meet of the BJP, this is the first time that it is being held when the party is in power.

The first time that a BJP national executive meet was held in Bangalore was in 1986 when Mr. Yeddyurappa was the lone MLA of the party and the second time when the meet was held in 1993 the party had four MLAs, and the third time in 2001 when the party had 44 legislators .

This time, the party has 111 MLAs, including the nominated Anglo Indian.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s secretariat told The Hindu that all-out efforts would be made during the three-day meet to prevent any kind of inconvenience to the common people irrespective of the presence of nearly 25 VVIPs in Bangalore.

Five hi-tech Volvo buses have been arranged for the travel of the VVIPs and the delegates, from the airport to the hotels, to the Vidhana Soudha where Mr. Yeddyurappa will host a lunch for the delegates and to the National College ground for the public meeting on Saturday.

The delegates would be entertained by Prabhat Kalavidaru troupe on Friday.

It will be an all-Karnataka food menu for the visitors and largely vegetarian. The list of VVIPs includes Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha L.K. Advani, party president Rajnath Singh, Chief Ministers of seven States, and former Chief Ministers of six States.

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