The Hindu : Karnataka News : BJP to hold brainstorming session on poll strategy

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Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

BJP to hold brainstorming session on poll strategy

Special Correspondent

Separate meetings with MPs, former legislators planned

It is likely to be held in the last week of December
Yeddyurappa leaves for Delhi to meet central leaders

BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party State unit has decided to have a brainstorming session of its leaders in the last week of December to formulate strategy for the elections to the State Legislative Assembly.

According to a senior party functionary, the party wants to have separate meetings of its MPs, former legislators and all the candidates who contested the previous Assembly election on its ticket to elicit their views on the poll-preparation.

BJP national vice-president and State in-charge Yashwant Sinha would participate in these meetings. The party is waiting for confirmation from Mr. Sinha to finalise the date of the session, sources said.

Speculation

Meanwhile, the former Chief Minister and party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa has left for Delhi on Sunday night to meet party central leaders. The party leaders are maintaining that Mr. Yeddyurappa has gone to Delhi to personally congratulate senior leader L.K. Advani on his declaration as party’s prime ministerial candidate and also to invite Mr. Sinha to participate in the brainstorming session.

But speculation is rife that Mr. Yeddyurappa might draw the attention of party central leaders on some of the dissident leaders trying to create confusion in the party by openly stating that the decision on chief ministerial candidate is yet to be taken.

Even as the two-day State executive was on in Davangere recently, party leader K.S. Eshwarappa had been quoted in a section of the press as stating that the decision on the chief ministerial candidate was still an unsettled issue.

Taking it seriously, the party State leadership had asserted that Mr. Yeddyurappa was the party’s chief ministerial candidate and nobody should have doubts in this regard.

Sources said that the party State leadership is viewing this as an attempt to create confusion at a time when the party is trying to generate a sympathy wave from the perceived political betrayal by its former ally Janata Dal (Secular).

According to sources in the party, Mr. Yeddyurappa is likely to take up this issue with the party central leaders and express concern that such attempts might send a wrong signal to people before the elections.

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