The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BJP to issue manifesto for each urban local body

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 01, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

BJP to issue manifesto for each urban local body

B.S. Satish Kumar

There will also be a State-level election manifesto
Preliminary poll campaign to begin on Saturday

BANGALORE: In order to ensure a focussed approach to the forthcoming elections to 206 urban local bodies in the State, the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to come out with an exclusive manifesto for each civic body. These manifestos will be in addition to a State-level manifesto.

While the State-level manifesto will concentrate on the party’s overall approach towards civic bodies and urban development issues, the local manifestos will focus on specific plans and assurances for the development of the particular civic body, party spokesperson S. Suresh Kumar told The Hindu.

Mr. Kumar, who heads a team that is preparing the party’s State-level manifesto, said it would be ready by September 8 or 9. The local manifestos were also expected to be ready by that time, he said.

The BJP will begin its 10-day preliminary phase of campaigning for the local body elections from Saturday. The party has grouped its leaders into 13 teams to undertake simultaneous tours and organise conventions in all the cities and towns where elections are to be held by September 10.

The teams will comprise Ministers, legislators, office-bearers and important leaders. These teams will concentrate on galvanising the party organisation by holding the party workers’ meets.

Joint tour

Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, national BJP general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar and State president D.V. Sadananda Gowda will undertake a joint tour in Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary, Mysore and Gulbarga.

Mr. Kumar said the party would launch another campaign tour after the elections were notified and its candidates filed their nominations.

Though it is common for political parties to galvanise its ranks by holding political conventions in the run-up to elections, the BJP’s campaign has aroused curiosity in political circles.

Balancing act

On the one hand, the party has to conduct a vigorous poll campaign to strengthen its position in the urban local body areas, which form its traditional support base. On the other hand, the party has to ensure that the campaign does not hurt its coalition partner, the Janata Dal (S), which is expected to hand over the post of Chief Minister to the BJP on October 3.

The BJP’s Vikasa Yatra in April kicked up a political storm and threatened to affect the relationship between the allies. Mr. Sadananda Gowda said that the party’s campaign would not affect the relationship between the allies. “There is no link between the poll campaign and the transfer of power,” he said. He also said the party would concentrate on local issues in the campaign for the local body polls.

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