Karnataka BJP wants to contest alone

By OUR CORRESPONDENT

New Delhi, March 27: Even when the Bharatiya Janata Party’s central leadership is yet to take a decision on whether it will go for any alliance for the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka, the state unit is in favour of going it alone. Pinning hopes on the populist budgets presented by B.S. Yeddyurappa during his tenure as the state finance minister, the party is hoping that it will gather more than 32 per cent of the voteshare this time.

The party has already announced Mr Yeddyurappa as its chief ministerial candidate. Sources said that the party’s state leaders are not in favour of any electoral alliances and are pitching to contest all the 224 seats. However, the central leadership has not yet firmed up its view on the matter and is weighing all options as it cannot antagonise the JD(U).

The issue is likely to figure in consultations with senior leader Arun Jaitley, who has been given charge of election affairs in Karnataka, during his visit to the state later this week. Mr Jaitley is likely to visit the state on March 29.

Meanwhile, the party has announced a countrywide agitation to highlight the failure of the Congress-led UPA government to check farmer suicides and rising inflation. BJP general secretary Anant Kumar said that the party will launch its agitation from April 7 against the "so-called pro-poor and pro-farmer" budget of the UPA government. The agitation will "expose the hollowness and insincerity" of the UPA government’s agricultural policies. The party is all set to make price rise a major campaign issue along with shortcomings in the agricultural sector and the internal security situation for the coming Assembly elections to corner the Congress.

"After the so-called pro-poor budget of the UPA government, the prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing. The government has totally failed to control and check price rise," Mr Kumar said. "We will also try to get farmers’ feedback on the loan waiver scheme, irrigation facilities, power problem, availability of fertiliser and pesticides through kisan adalats (farmers court)," he said.