The Bharatiya Janata Party State president Nalin Kumar Kateel on Tuesday expressed confidence of his party winning at least 150 seats in the 2023 Assembly elections. The party is now being strengthened at the grassroots ahead of the polls to bring the BJP to power once again, he said.
Speaking at a press conference after chairing a meeting of the party’s divisional-level meeting at Hotel Lalitha Mahal Palace, Mr. Kateel said the party will hold meetings in every district before April 24. Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah recently said that the party will win 130 seats in next year’s polls but the leaders are confident of winning 150 seats as we are going to the polls based on development and organisational strengths, he claimed.
Mr. Kateel said the State Government and the party have handled all rows carefully and successfully. “The controversy over hijab was not created by us but by somebody else. The court has given its verdict and it is the duty of the Government to comply with it. The issue was politicised by the Congress for votes. Our party has no thinking like the Congress.”
He argued that the people reposed faith in the Governments when controversies are handled effectively. He, however, clarified that his party has no connection with Sri Rama Sene.
Accusing the Congress of spreading false propaganda against the BJP Government, Mr. Kateel said the Congress had said that B.S. Yediyurappa will not continue as the Chief Minister for long when BJP came to power but he was in the post for three years. Now, they are after Basavaraj Bommai and later they will talk about him. The Congress has failed in its job as a responsible Opposition party, he charged.
Mr. Kateel said 60,000 Page Pramuks’ meetings have been done in the State as a micro strategy for strengthening the party at the booth levels.
Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Ministers S.T. Somashekar, Narayanagowda, V. Somanna, K. Gopalaiah, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha, BJP vice-president M. Rajendra, MLAs S.A. Ramdas, L. Nagendra and other leaders were present.
