The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BJP targets the thinking voter

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Sunday, Mar 22, 2009
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BJP targets the thinking voter

Special Correspondent

Educated civil society disengaged with political class: R.K. Misra

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

FOR FRESH PERSPECTIVE: BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and H.N. Anantha Kumar inducting entrepreneur R.K. Misra into the party in Bangalore on Saturday.

Bangalore: Bharatiya Janata Party seems all set to woo the “thinking class” of civil society and young voters.

Party general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar, speaking at the induction of the former corporate head R.K. Misra into the party here on Saturday, said that “Friends of BJP” and “Advani at Campus” campaigns would target these two segments of voters.

While the former would be aimed at people from the corporate world, professionals, academics and others, the latter addresses the 10 crore youth voters.

These two “informal” modes of campaign would take place simultaneously alongside the formal rallies and other regular electioneering exercises, said Mr. Ananth Kumar.

BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley said the party was seeing lateral entries into its fold in the run up to the elections with academics, former civil servants and army men, entrepreneurs and others joining the party. The BJP had a tradition of “accepting men of potential naturally into the fold.”

He said that people were cynical of politicians who had made it big either “because of their surname” or because “greatness was thrust upon them”.

Mr. Misra, who is a postgraduate from IIT Kanpur and member of the Karnataka Government’s Empowered Committee on Infrastructure, said the “educated civil society was disenchanted and disengaged with the political class” and it was important to get the “thinking class” interested in politics.

He said that he had “not joined the party to get a ticket”, but would work his way up the party.

Mr. Jaitley refused to answer questions on his relations with party president Rajnath Singh.

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