Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is expected to visit the State again to campaign for one day.
BJP State unit president Pralhad Joshi disclosed this at a ‘Meet the press’ programme organised by the Press Club of Bangalore and Bangalore Reporters’ Guild here on Tuesday. The schedule for Mr. Modi’s proposed visit was yet to be finalised, he said. Sources, however, said Mr. Modi was likely to visit the State by month-end.
“We are planning to request him to address four rallies in Belgaum, Mysore, Shimoga and Bagalkot,” Mr. Joshi said.
So far, the Gujarat Chief Minister has addressed rallies in Bangalore, Mangalore, Davangere, Hubli and Gulbarga.
‘Will get majority’
Claiming that the split in the organisation was the main reason for the BJP’s defeat in the 2013 Assembly elections, Mr. Joshi said that the party would win a majority of the Lok Sabha seats in the State, thanks to Mr. Modi’s image. Party strength was also bolstered after leaders such as the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and B. Sriramulu returned to its fold, he said.
Targeting both the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party, he said the “misrule” and “failure to rule” by different parties were the main poll issues for the BJP this time. Taking exception to AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal ridiculing Mr. Yeddyurappa during his recent visit to the State, Mr. Joshi said: “There is no need to take such comments seriously as Mr. Kejriwal thinks that politics is all about speaking whatever comes to mind.”
He denied the allegations that Mr. Yeddyurappa’s supporters were not “accommodated” in the BJP.
