Amit Shah may visit K’taka next week, finalise BJP’s Old Mysuru gameplan

BENGALURU: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to visit Bengaluru in the last week of January when he is expected to finalise the party’s strategy for the Old Mysuru region. He is also expected to hold a roadshow in a few seats in Bengaluru, where the BJP is perceived to be weak, and raise the pitch.

As regards Mandya, the state leadership is planning to put Independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh directly in touch with Amit Shah to convince her to join the party. If she agrees, the party even plans to give tickets to her candidates in Mandya and Maddur Assembly segments and has some tasks cut out for her.

While it is still not clear whether Sumalatha will extend outside support to the BJP or join the party, she is expected to make up her mind before Shivaratri festival.

After Congress state president D K Shivakumar claimed that several BJP MLAs, including in the Old Mysuru region, will be joining his party soon, the saffron brigade is also preparing to snare prominent leaders from the opposition camps, with Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai himself indicating as much.

While the BJP is already making its moves and is in touch with several leaders from the Congress and JD(S) in Old Mysuru, Kalyana Karnataka and Bengaluru Rural districts, the Congress has set the stage for the induction of MLCs H Vishwanath, Puttanna and some MLAs and is in talks with some leaders in central and north Karnataka. The poaching exercise is expected to gain more momentum after the budget session of the legislature.

In Kolar too, the BJP has kept its door open for leaders from the opposition camps and is strategising to use any available opportunity to ensure Siddaramaiah’s defeat if he contests from there. Party leaders are busy chalking out strategies under the guidance of general secretary B L Santhosh and will also use the influence of Varthur Prakash to rope in influential leaders.