Even as the process of selection of candidates for the ensuing byelections to the Bangalore Rural and Mandya Lok Sabha seats is on, the Bharatiya Janata Party State President Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said the party would consider if its former ally Janata Dal (Secular) made any proposal for a pre-poll alliance.
“We have not taken any decision on having any kind of tie-up with the JD(S) so far. But if it makes a proposal in this regard, we will discuss it in the party forum and take a suitable decision,” Mr. Joshi told presspersons in Bangalore after the office-bearers meeting.
He said the BJP has taken the Lok Sabha byelections seriously. The party has appointed its leaders C.T. Ravi and R. Ashok as in-charge for Mandya and Bangalore Rural seats respectively.
Similarly, the former Chief Ministers D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Jagadish Shettar have been given the responsibility of steering the party in the Legislative Council byelections from the Local Areas Constituencies in Mysore and Dharwad respectively, while Mr. Ravi has been given the additional responsibility of monitoring the Council byelections from Chitradurga.
He said the above leaders would prepare a blue print for the party’s strategy including the selection of candidates in the seats allotted to them. A final decision would be taken after discussing the plans proposed by these leaders with the party’s prominent leaders, he noted.
Modi coming
Mr. Joshi said Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who has been appointed BJP National Election Campaign Committee chairman, would be visiting the State in September as against the earlier plans of arriving in August.
The BJP State unit is trying to organise a public meeting in Bangalore to mark the occasion of Mr. Modi’s visit, he said.
He said that Mr. Modi’s visit would boost the morale of the party workers in the State.
