Karnataka - Belgaum   

Congress is main rival in panchayat polls, says BJP

Staff Correspondent

A vote for BJP will be seen as a vote for development, says party MP

Belgaum: The Congress as well as Janata Dal (Secular) have become unpopular in the district because of their own actions, and yet the Congress is our main rival in the panchayat elections, BJP district unit President Eranna Kadadi and party's Lok Sabha member Suresh C. Angadi have said.

Talking to presspersons here on Sunday, they claimed that the image of the coalition partners in the State had eroded greatly in recent months and the BJP was poised to emerge as a major party in the district. They made it clear that the BJP would contest the elections on its own and would not have alliance with either the Janata Dal (United) or any other party.

Appealing to the people to vote for the BJP, Mr. Angadi said every vote would be seen as a vote for "development." Stating that the BJP was contesting the elections on the issue of "development," he said the question of party losing support of the Marathi-speaking people in the light of unity efforts in the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti did not arise.

"We are contesting (the elections) on development issues and not on linguistic or boundary issue. Those who believe in development will vote for BJP," he said.

Mr. Angadi urged the people to help the BJP in realising the dreams of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on development of villages. Mr. Vajpayee had announced a 12-point formula for overall development of villages but the NDA lost office before it could be implemented.

He said the BJP was contesting in 42 zilla panchayat seats and 150 taluk panchayat seats falling in his Lok Sabha constituency.

In Chikkodi Lok Sabha constituency represented by the party's Ramesh Jigajinagi, the party was contesting in 22 zilla panchayats seats and 56 taluk panchayat seats. This was for the first time that the party was contesting in a big way in panchayat polls in the district, he said.

Asked why the party was not contesting in all the 86 zilla panchayat seats but only in 64 places given the fact that the BJP had eight MLAs as against five of the Congress, Mr. Angadi did not give a clear reply.

Manifesto

To a question, he said the State unit of the party would soon release a manifesto for the panchayat polls.

Also, the district unit would have its own manifesto.

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