Even though its cadre is yet to recover from the miserable defeat in the recent Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to commence preparations for the Lok Sabha elections this month itself hoping that early preparations may help it improve its performance.
Briefing presspersons after the BJP Legislature Party meeting here, party State president Pralhad Joshi said the preparations for the Lok Sabha elections would commence soon after the party national executive committee meeting to be held in Goa from June 7 to 9.
While a senior leader said the party wanted to prepare a tentative list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls as soon as possible, Mr. Joshi said the party would prepare a constituency-wise plan.
He said the legislature party had taken serious exception to targeting the erstwhile BJP dispensation in the Governor’s address to the joint session of the State legislature on Monday. He blamed the Congress government as being responsible for it by pointing out that it is the State Cabinet that approves the Governor’s speech.
He accused the Congress government headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of resorting to vendetta politics against the BJP.
Meanwhile, the party State office-bearers and presidents as well as general secretaries of the district units would meet in Bangalore on June 6 to discuss the process of organisational elections. BJP’s central leader T.C. Gehlot would participate in that meeting.
He said the legislature party had authorised party floor leader in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar and leader of the Opposition in the Council D.V. Sadananda Gowda to constitute its executive committee by appointing a whip and secretary.
When asked if any efforts were being made to woo the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa into the party fold, Mr. Joshi said no such proposal was there before the party.
Later, the former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council D.V. Sadananda Gowda said the party had decided to launch a serious fight both inside and outside the legislature against the decision by the Congress government to give a green signal to manufacturing of cheap liquor and drop BJP’s flagship programmes like the creation of 43 new taluks. He said the party’s prominent leaders and workers were of the view that taking up a strong public struggle against “anti-people” policies of the government was the only way for the BJP to regain its lost ground.
