Lok Sabha elections: BJP's DK unit looking at 2 lakh-plus victory margin for Nalin, says Matandoor

MANGALURU:

Dakshina Kannada

district unit of BJP is striving for a 2 lakh victory margin for incumbent party MP

Nalin Kumar Kateel

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Having quelled the challenge of veteran Congress leader B Janardhan Poojary by 40420 votes when he first contested in 2004, Nalin increased this margin to 143709 votes in 2014 against the same rival. Now eyeing a hat-trick of wins, the district unit is working for a 2-lakh plus victory margin for the sitting MP.

Sanjeeva Matandoor, Puttur MLA who also heads the district unit of BJP said Nalin’s track-record over the last two-terms speaks for itself. It was under Nalin that the BJP bounced back in 2018 assembly polls reversing the assembly verdict of 2013. The party also won 134 out of 203 gram panchayats, as well as the zilla panchayat, has control over two of the current five taluk panchayats, and rules five of the eight urban local bodies, he noted.

With all the 1861 booth committees active, Matandoor said the 54 maha Shakti kendras of the party are overseeing work of these booth committees. The ‘page pramukh’ concept tried out successfully in 2018 assembly polls is being replicated even in these polls. A convention of the page pramukhs will be held from April 28 to 30. Mass booth level contact programme will be held from April 3 to 5 followed by maha sampark campaign on April 7.

April 8 to 14 will see workers undertake a mass rural and urban voter contact programme or the second phase of maha sampark campaign, he said. The maha Shakti kendras too will take up 55 major public meetings at their respective level to mobilise support for the party and the candidate. Roads shows will be held across the district on April 15 and 16, he said, adding efforts are on to line up a public address rally by PM Narendra Modi.

BJP will seek votes on basis of achievements of 5-year rule of NDA government under Modi and failures of Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka. “The government is on a ventilator,” he said adding people can’t expect much from a government that is battling for its survival. Locally, confusion in ranks of senior Congress leaders being denied the ticket and a younger candidate being preferred too will be advantageous for BJP, he surmised.

Decrying attempts by INC national spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala to besmirch the image of state BJP chief and former CM B S Yeddyurappa over perceived corruption diaries, Matandoor said the Election Commission must take suo moto note of the same and initiate legal and disciplinary action against Surjewala. “Congress is resorting to such cheap tactics in a bid to misguide the voters and cover up for its shortcomings,” he said.