S. A. Hemanth
Hubballi, April 25: A short-while from now in the late evening, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will take part in a meeting to take stock of the party’s poll preparedness of North Karnataka region.
Apart from Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and Union Minister Prahallad Joshi, all top leaders of the state unit as well as both the regions – Kalyana Karnataka and Mumbai – Karnataka – are expected to participate.
Both the regions being Lingayath-dominated, Amit Shah’s thrust and focus will be on the ways and means to retain the Lingayath vote base in the wake of the exit of Jagadish Shettar, Lakahman Savadi and Ayanur Manjunath.
A leader with abundant political acumen and electoral shrewdness, Amit Shah is expected to guide the party on the ticklish issue of the possible Lingayath erosion and backlash.
“The Union Home Minister is likely to caution the state leaders not to get into the trap on the issue of Lingayath Chief Minister,” a senior party leader told The Newz Peg.
Amit Shah has told a similar meeting in Bangalore recently that the party has never projected anybody as Chief Minister or Prime Minister “from the caste point of view”.
“Projecting the chief ministerial candidate on the basis of caste will lead to polarization and consolidation of non-Lingayaths that will prove detrimental to the party’s electoral prospects,” Amit Shah had told the state leaders in the Bangalore meeting.
The Union Home Minister is going to prevail upon the leaders of North Karnataka region to hammer strongly on Shettar, Savadi and Ayanur Manjunath as “great betrayers”.
Amit Shah is also likely to review the preparations at the grassroot level in terms of booth committees and Page pramukhs who are the foot soldiers of the party.
EOM
