The Hindu : Karnataka News : Civic polls: BJP leaders to begin tour from September 1

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Friday, Aug 17, 2007
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Civic polls: BJP leaders to begin tour from September 1

Special Correspondent

13 teams will tour 200 municipal areas: Sadananda Gowda

BJP hopeful of doing well in elections
Second phase of Vikas Yatra after monsoon

— Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Strategy session: Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and other BJP leaders at the party office-bearers’ meeting in Bangalore on Thursday.

BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to launch a campaign from September 1 to 10 as part of its preparations for the upcoming elections to urban local bodies.

A decision to this effect was taken at the BJP office-bearers’ meeting held to take stock of the party’s preparations for the polls, here on Thursday.

Briefing presspersons after the meeting, BJP State unit president D.V. Sadananda Gowda said 13 teams, comprising Ministers, legislators and party office-bearers, would be formed to tour over 200 municipal areas going to the polls. These teams would take up simultaneous tours and also hold a convention in the jurisdiction of each of these municipal bodies.

The party Ministers and prominent leaders would monitor the party’s preparations for the civic polls. A meeting of these leaders would be held on August 29 and 30.

Mr. Gowda expressed confidence that the party would win about 70 per cent of seats in the municipal elections. Replying to questions, Mr. Gowda made it clear that the ongoing efforts were only to prepare for the urban local body polls, not for any general elections.

“As a party, we are ready for any eventuality. But certainly, this is not a preparation for the Assembly elections,” he said.

The party had also constituted a committee, headed by S. Suresh Kumar, to prepare the manifesto for the civic polls. The manifesto would be ready soon, Mr. Gowda said.

He also noted that the party leaders would undertake an exercise to expedite the constitution of booth-level committees in the districts on August 19.

In reply to a question, he said the party would launch its second phase of Vikas Yatra after the rainy season. The districts of Bangalore Urban, Mangalore, Hassan and Bellary are yet to be covered under Vikas Yatra.

Asked about the propriety of party legislators getting ready for the China trip when the State was affected by rain fury, Mr. Gowda defended the trip and said, “it is not proper to ask the legislators to cancel their trip as it is an opportunity for them to know about development schemes. It would have been better if it had been put off. But since the authorities have already decided the schedule, it is not appropriate to seek postponement,” he said.

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