BENGALURU: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is arriving in Bengaluru on Thursday night to take part in some government programmes on Friday (March 24), is expected to review the party’s preparedness to gain the maximum number of Assembly seats in Bengaluru. His visit comes just a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to inaugurate the KR Puram-Whitefield Metro line.
The party bosses are eyeing at least 20 seats in Greater Bengaluru and have tasks cut out for state leaders in 32 seats. With the inauguration of the KR Puram Metro line, the BJP will be looking to highlight its development works. The party had fallen short of the majority mark in the previous Assembly election and is determined to leave no stone unturned this time.
On Friday, morning, Shah will visit senior leader B S Yediyurappa at the latter’s residence for breakfast wherein Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and state BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel will also be present. By doing so, the party leadership will be looking to send across a message that Yediyurappa has not been sidelined and also to the Lingayat community that he is the unquestioned leader. Other leaders have also been asked to deal with Yediyurappa with due respect and importance which will also signal to the opposition that he has not been sidelined.
Meanwhile, the central leadership is said to be upset with leaders dumping the party and joining the Congress. The is said to have conveyed its displeasure after Baburao Chinchansur and a few other leaders crossed over to the Congress. Yediyurappa has already held talk with Narayana Gowda and will also talk to a sulking former legislator for Kalaburagi district.