BJP to hold rally at Doddaballapur to mark Bommai’s first year on July 28

The ruling BJP will hold a special rally at Doddaballapur, some 40 km from Bengaluru, to mark Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai completing one year in office on July 28.

This was one of the decisions taken at a day-long brainstorming meeting held Friday where BJP leaders discussed ways to improve coordination between the party and the government.

“The government’s event will be held in Bengaluru whereas the party event will be in Doddaballapur,” Bommai told reporters.

Senior BJP leaders, Cabinet ministers, and MLAs met in Devanahalli to discuss strategy for the 2023 Assembly election in which the party wants to win 150 seats.

“We discussed making sure that the government and the BJP work together in coordination,” Bommai said. “And, we should go door-to-door and reach people with works being carried out by the state and central governments,” he said.

The decision to choose Doddaballapur in the Bengaluru Rural district is viewed as the BJP’s effort to improve its presence in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region.

According to BJP general secretary Mahesh Tenginkayi, the party will mobilise one lakh beneficiaries of government schemes for the Doddaballapur rally.

“Like this, two rallies will be held every month in different districts to bring beneficiaries together. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president JP Nadda and other leaders will take part in these rallies,” he said.

Bommai himself will take part in rallies and developmental activities at 50 select assembly segments whereas BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel will tour all of the 39 organisational districts where conventions for leaders from the booth, Shakti Kendra and Mahashakti Kendras will be held, Tenginkayi said.

Six zones

To achieve its goal of winning 150 seats, the BJP has divided the Old Mysuru and Kalyana Karnataka regions into six zones: Kalyana Karnataka, Kittur Karnataka, Central Karnataka, Coastal, Old Mysuru, and Bengaluru.

“Of the 41 MLAs in Kalyana Karnataka, the BJP has 15. We will formulate an action plan to double this. In Old Mysuru, out of 51 seats, we won nine in 2018. Here, too, we want to give special focus. By winning more seats in these two zones, we will move closer to our 150 target,” Tenginkayi explained.

He claimed that several JD(S) and Congress MLAs and leaders were in touch with the BJP. "In the coming days, they will be inducted into the party," he said.