Political situation favours BJP but no early polls, say Karnataka BJP leaders after meeting with Amit Shah

• “The current political situation is in favour of the BJP as the party has won four of the five states where elections were held recently. The Congress is in a shambles. If we work at the ground level, then we can win more than 150 seats in Karnataka,” the BJP general secretary said after the meeting.

• “Our party is always ready for polls but the elections will take place only after a year in April 2023. Amit Shahji has given us instructions to prepare a road map for the next year,” he said.

• Both Ravi and state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel said that no discussion of a cabinet expansion or change of leadership in the government and party was held at the meeting.

• “We have been directed to create a road map for the next one year. We will also work on the ground and attract leaders from other parties. A small team is being created to bring leaders from other parties into the BJP and a decision will be taken in conjunction with the party chief,” Ravi said.

• “Discussions were held on the present political situation and we are confident that the BJP will not fall short of the majority mark. He (Shah) has guided us on the measures to be taken to cross the 150-mark. We will prepare a road map,” he said.

• “The programmes of the Modi government are reaching the people through direct benefit schemes. The beneficiaries are with the party and the government and we will work at the ground level to mobilize support for the party,” Ravi said.

• BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel, who faces the prospect of being replaced by a new party leader in the run-up to the state polls, said that decisions on cabinet changes and other aspects concerning the party will be taken following a visit by BJP national president J P Nadda to Bengaluru in the third week of April.

• “A target to obtain 150 seats has been set. The discussions were about holding elections after the full term of the government. Many organizational issues were discussed like the creation of page committees,” Kateel said.

• “There was no discussion on holding elections before the term of the government. The organizational issues were discussed with the next elections in mind. There were no discussions on leadership,” he added.

• When asked if Karnataka ministers and the state unit of the party were pulled up by the Union home minister for not sufficiently emphasizing the development activities of the Narendra Modi-led government in the last one year, the two leaders said that no such thing happened at the meeting.

Conclusion

Party sources said the BJP would be prepared for any eventuality including the possible exit of MLAs who joined the party from the Congress and the JDS to help it come to power in 2019.