The strategy appears simple: hold scheduled corner meetings with local leaders and workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party at designated places; appeal to them with folded hands to reach maximum voters to choose the party taking the name of prime ministerial candidate M. Narendra Modi without fail; visit some temples during the campaign; go on ‘padayatras’ in some places as per the schedule with folded hands seeking votes.
This was BJP’s candidate for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency Nalin Kumar Kateel’s style in some places under Moodbidri Assembly constituency in the district on Monday. Mr. Kateel, contesting the Lok Sabha election for the second time, had secured 4,293 more than nearest rival candidate B. Janardhana Poojary of the Congress in the 2009 Lok Sabha election.
In the ‘padayatra’ at Haleyangady in the forenoon Mr. Kateel called some shop keepers by name and said that he knew many of them.
With folded hands and greeting people with smile he hugged some persons he closely knew. He went on ‘padayatra’ in Pakshikere and Moodushedde.
In his corner meetings at Haleyangady, Balkunje, Bajpe, Kinnigoli and Moodushedde, Mr. Kateel claimed that he occupied the first place in Karnataka in utilising the funds under Member of Parliament’s Local Area Development Scheme.
Referring to his future plans Mr. Kateel said that his thrust would be on creating a separate Mangalore railway division, boost to tourism, support to agriculture-based industries, setting up IT parks and development of Mangalore International Airport.
He claimed that he never indulged in hate politics and had retained the trust and confidence of party workers during the last five years. Mr. Kateel criticised the Congress government in the State by stating that it had failed in all front.
Mr. Kateel recalled that he was an active worker of the Rashtriyaswayam Sevak Sangh (RSS) and entered the BJP as a party worker in 2005 and stated categorically that Mr. Modi was sure to become the Prime Minister.
Mr. Kateel began his campaign on Monday by meeting Dharmapalanatha, seer of the branch math of Adichunchanagiri math at Kavoor.
Later he visited temples at Pavanje and on the way of campaign temples at Kolakadi, Kunjaragiri, Dendadkka and a ‘daivasthana’ at Balkunje.
