Karnataka - Shimoga   

Shimoga: BJP hopes to cash in on anti-incumbency factor

Special Correspondent

SHIMOGA: The Bharatiya Janata Party leader and party's observer for Karnataka, Ved Prakash Goel, said here on Saturday that the assertion of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President, B. Janardhana Poojary, that the outcome of the Shimoga Lok Sabha byelection will not be a referendum on the Government's performance showed that he is not confident of the party's chances of winning.

Talking to presspersons, Mr. Goel said it is true that the outcome of any byelection cannot be construed as a referendum of the performance of any Government.

It can be a reflection on the administration. The victory of the ruling party in the byelection will not make big news, but will be big news if the Opposition party scores a victory.

"We are quite eager to see such a result in the coming byelection," he said.

He said that the anti-incumbency factor which has affected the ruling Congress party is likely to be beneficial to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Asserting that his party is involved in a direct fight with the Congress in the Shimoga Lok Sabha byelection, Mr. Goel said it would not underrate the strength of the other parties.

Taking a dig at the former Chief Minister, S. Bangarappa, who is contesting the byelection as the Samajwadi Party candidate, Mr. Goel questioned he decision of Mr. Bangarappa to join the BJP during the last election if he was confident of his popularity.

He said that the campaign by the Samajwadi Party president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav, in the byelection will not make any impact on the prospects of his party's candidate. "At the most it can create a forum for Bangarappa," he said.

Mr. Goel said there is no possibility of the emergence of the third front in the country as the three principal parties — Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Party and the Communist Party were restricted to respective States.

He said BJP leaders such as Sushma Swaraj, Narendra Modi and Venkaiah Naidu will campaign for the party candidate in Shimoga.

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Shimoga: BJP hopes to cash in on anti-incumbency factor

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