Karnataka - Bangalore   

BJP makes a bid to woo minorities

BANGALORE: In an effort to woo minorities three days before the first phase of polling, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday promised to induct a minority leader into the Cabinet if it was voted to power in the coming elections.

“We will induct a minority leader into our Cabinet in the first round of ministry expansion itself,” party’s chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa told a press conference here.

Incidentally, the BJP, which is contesting all the 224 Assembly constituencies in the State, has not fielded any minority candidate. The lone minority candidate Abbas Ali Bohra, who had been given ticket from Channapatna, has been expelled from the party as he contested as a rebel from is native district of Mandya.

BJP’s prominent minority leader and MP H. T. Sangliana has expressed dissatisfaction over not giving representation to the minorities while issuing ticket. Accusing the party leaders of ignoring the minorities, Mr. Sangliana has cautioned that the party’s poll prospects could be bleak as the minorities are likely to distance themselves from the BJP.

In an obvious reference to this, Mr. Yeddyurappa said the party could not accommodate any minority candidates as “they were not in a position to win if given ticket. We gave importance to only the winning potential of candidates while issuing ticket,” he clarified.

Mr. Yeddyurappa claimed that the minorities had started supporting the BJP after he presented two budgets which had increased the allocation for their welfare schemes.

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