BJP will get 15 seats more than halfway mark: Shah
In an interview with HT, Shah said that there was no question of announcing a CM candidate in the state when Basavaraj Bommai was the sitting chief minister
New Delhi The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is coasting to a victory in the upcoming Karnataka assembly polls and will win 15 seats more the halfway mark in the 224-member assembly, Union home minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday, adding that the central issue in the elections was development and not polarisation.
In an interview with HT, Shah said that there was no question of announcing a CM candidate in the state when Basavaraj Bommai was the sitting chief minister, while adding that former chief minister BS Yediyurappa remained a tall leader of the party who was campaigning tirelessly for the BJP.
“Based on my feedback and my experience, I am confident that the party will win reach the halfway mark and win a minimum of 15 additional seats. The elections results will surprise everyone,” he said.
When asked about the pressure to name a chief ministerial candidate from certain groups such as Lingayats, Shah asked, “(Basavaraj) Bommai is the sitting CM, where is the question of announcing a name?”
He praised Yediyurappa -- the BJP’s tallest leader in the state who stepped aside in 2021 to make way for Bommai – and dismissed any speculation of a rift.
“He is a tall leader but he himself said he does not want to continue as CM. The party also has a rule (on age) and he had followed it. Just because he is not the CM, does not mean he is not our party’s leader. Even at this age, he addresses five rallies a day,” Shah said.
The home minister also said that the number of rebel candidates have drastically reduced, He brushed aside claims that rebels – former chief minister Jagdish Shettar and former deputy CM Laxman Savadi prominent among them – will dent the BJP’s performance.
“In the last three elections there have been rebel candidates...this time, there has been a drastic reduction in their numbers,” he said. “I am saying this, both Shettar and Savadi will lose,” he added
Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10 and the BJP is looking to retain power in the only southern state it controls, beating back challenges from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular). The party has never won an electoral majority in the state.
Shah said despite the appearance that the election was polarised, the effect of the BJP government’s developmental work was the key factor in these elections.
“There are scores of development projects that the BJP will benefit from. When we view it from a distance and from the prism of news headlines, then we feel there is (polarisation)...but 48 lakh (4.8 million) families have got toilets, 37 lakh (3.7 million) houses for the poor were constructed,1.4 crore (14 million) get free ration and all BPL (below poverty line) families get health insurance of up to ₹5 lakh,” he said.
