Amit Shah in Mandya, as BJP focuses on Old Mysuru region for 2023 polls

India

oi-PTI

New
Delhi,
Dec
30:
As
the
BJP
prepares
for
the
2023
Assembly
elections
in
Karnataka,
with
special
focus
on
the
Old
Mysuru
region,
where
the
party
is
weak,
Union
Home
Minister
Amit
Shah
will
hit
the
ground
running
in
the
poll-bound
state
with
a
visit
to
Mandya
on
Friday.

Shah,
who
landed
in
Bengaluru
on
Thursday
night,
will
be
visiting
the
Old
Mysuru
region’s
Mandya
and
Devanahalli
on
December
30
and
31,
where
he
will
be
attending
various
events
and
meetings.
Other
than
official
engagements,
he
will
also
be
engaging
in
party
meetings,
where
he
is
expected
to
review
poll
preparedness
of
the
BJP
and
discuss
strategy
with
leaders
and
booth
level
workers.

On
his
arrival
in
Bengaluru
last
night,
Shah
was
received
by
Chief
Minister
Basavaraj
Bommai,
several
of
his
cabinet
colleagues,
and
state
BJP
President
Nalin
Kumar
Kateel.
He
will
be
in
Mandya
later
in
the
day
today,
where
he
will
inaugurate
a
mega
dairy
and
address
a
public
meeting
there.

Mandya
in
Old
Mysuru
region
is
a
Vokkaliga
community
dominated
district,
largely
seen
as
a
bastion
of
JD(S),
where
the
Congress
too
is
strong,
and
the
BJP
is
trying
to
make
inroads.

Profits
from
drugs
are
being
utilised
for
terrorism:
Amit
Shah

BJP
National
General
Secretary
C
T
Ravi
on
Wednesday
had
said
his
party
will
be
giving
special
focus
to
the
Old
Mysuru
region
in
the
run-up
to
the
2023
Assembly
polls
in
Karnataka,
as
the
party
has
realised
that
without
winning
the
confidence
of
people
in
the
region,
it
cannot
get
a
majority.
He
said
the
BJP
will
go
before
the
people
in
the
Vokkaliga-dominated
region
where
it
is
perceived
as
weak,
with
development
and
Hindutva
as
the
agenda.

The
BJP
has
been
making
consistent
efforts
to
make
inroads
into
constituencies
or
regions
where
it
is
not
strong,
especially
in
the
old
Mysuru
region,
aimed
at
reaping
political
dividends.

In
the
2018
polls,
the
BJP
managed
to
win
one
seat
in
Hassan;
later
in
the
high-voltage
2019
by-polls,
it
managed
to
win
the
K
R
Pet
seat,
its
first
victory
in
Mandya
district
and
also
won
Chikkballapur,
another
first.

Creating
history
of
sorts,
the
party
bagged
the
Sira
Assembly
segment
in
Tumakuru
district
for
the
first
time
in
November,
2020
by-polls.
After
the
engagements
in
Mandya,
Shah
will
be
back
in
Bengaluru
to
take
part
in
a
Cooperative
convention
at
the
Palace
Grounds
here.
Following
this,
he
is
scheduled
to
attend
a
BJP
meeting.

On
December
31,
the
Home
Minister
is
scheduled
to
have
a
breakfast
meeting
with
party
leaders,
after
which
he
will
be
laying
the
foundation
stone
for
Central
Intelligence
Training
Institute
and
Inaugurate
ITBP’s
residential
and
non-residential
complexes.
He
will
also
be
visiting
the
Souharda
Sahakari
Federation.
Thereafter,
he
is
expected
to
attend
BJP’s
booth
presidents
and
booth
level
agents
convention
at
the
Palace
Ground,
before
leaving
for
Delhi.

Amit
Shah
has
closed-door
meeting
with
Mamata
Banerjee

The
visit
has
gained
significance
amid
the
wait
for
expansion
or
reshuffle
for
Chief
Minister
Basavaraj
Bommai-led
cabinet
and
reservation
demand
by
various
communities
in
the
state.

The
BJP,
which
aims
to
come
back
to
power
by
breaking
nearly
four-decade
jinx
of
no
party
in
government
retaining
power
in
the
state
(since
1985),
has
set
a
target
of
winning
minimum
150
of
the
total
224
seats
in
the
Assembly.
The
party
is
hoping
to
energise
the
cadres
and
instill
confidence
among
them
with
Shah’s
visit.