The BJP will return to power in Karnataka with 125-130 seats in the 224-member Assembly, senior party leader and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa told News18 in an interview on Saturday, adding that the high command will take a call on demands for a Lingayat chief minister.
Predicting a grim outing for Jagadish Shettar, who switched over to the Congress recently, in the Karnataka elections, Yediyurappa said the former chief minister will face a tough time in the Hubli-Dharwad seat. He added that the Congress’ PayCM campaign will fail to yield electoral results.
Touching upon the prospects of his son Vijayendra in the BJP, Yediyurappa said the Karnataka BJP vice-president enjoys significant popularity among workers even beyond the Shikaripura constituency. Talking about his own campaigning schedule, the former CM said he plans to tour at least 80 important constituencies, targeting four a day.
Edited excerpts
How much are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah’s rallies going to help boost the BJP’s prospects?
I have travelled across the state and I am sure that the BJP will get 125 to 130 seats. We will get absolute majority and form the government.
We saw all saw the special gesture from Amit Shah who took the bouquet from your son Vijayendra. How do you see the future of your son?
You know that he is the vice-president of the party and is touring the state. Even though he is a candidate from Shikaripura constituency, he is touring the entire state. Yesterday, he was in Varuna. Today, he is in north Karnataka. He commands a lot of respect among BJP workers in the state. I am confident he will lead by over 50,000 votes in Shikaripura seat.
How do you see the prospects of your son Vijayendra in the BJP?
That is up to the party high command. Whatever they say, we will abide by it.
As a father and mentor to Vijayendra, how do you see his role in the BJP’s future, especially after seeing him work for wins in seats like KR Pete and Sira?
Because of Vijayendra, we have won elections that we previously lost. He has the backing of thousands of youth and they adore and respect him. In the constituency as well, 20,000-30,000 youth are wholeheartedly supporting Vijayendra and he is also touring the state and working hard to help build the party. Naturally, he commands his own respect, and in the future as well, according to the decision taken by the high command, he is going to get an important place.
You said Jagdish Shettar will 99% get the ticket. What went wrong in the end?
I don’t want to discuss these issues. Jagdish Shettar was promised a ticket for his wife. Amit Shah also telephoned him personally, asked him to come to Delhi and become a Rajya Sabha member, and later a Union minister. He refused it. He will face the consequences. According to me, it is very difficult for Shettar to win the Hubli-Dharwad seat.
Shettar made the statement that BL Santhosh is controlling the party. How do you respond to that?
That is not true. All are equal in the party. Santhosh himself said publicly that such things do not happen in the BJP. Everybody abides by what PM Modi and Amit Shah say.
How much will the Congress’s PayCM campaign impact the BJP?
It will not have any impact. They are all lies spun by the Congress. There is no reality in it. It is a false allegation and will not affect the BJP. People will teach the Congress a lesson.
What about the guarantee cards that the Congress has been promising to people?
When we are coming to power with absolute majority, of what use is their guarantee card? It does not serve the purpose.
There is a clamour to declare a Lingayat leader as the BJP’s CM candidate. How do you respond?
Around 85% of the Lingayat community is supporting the BJP. There is a demand from many of our leaders that a Lingayat should become the next CM. Naturally, our central leadership will decide after the elections.
What would you like to tell the leaders who have been raising issues like hijab and halal during campaigning?
Whatever programs I have announced as the CM, I have never discriminated between Muslims, Christians, or Hindus. We have treated all of them as equals. For example, when I announced the Bhagyalakshmi Scheme, more than 70% beneficiaries were from the Muslim community. So allegations that we are communal, do not hold good.
What advice would you give to Jagdish Shettar?
I don’t want to comment about him. He has left the party. I reiterate that it is very difficult for him to win the seat he is contesting from. Not a single BJP worker is with him right now. These BJP workers continue to support the party.
KS Eshwarappa received a call from PM Modi yesterday. Is that a message being sent across by the central leadership to leaders who are contemplating leaving the party because they feel side-lined or have been denied tickets?
It shows the Prime Minister’s greatness. He spoke to Eshwarappa ji and said there will be some opportunity and not to worry about it. Not just Eshwarappa or Yediyurappa, but all BJP karyakartas are happy with this kind of an assurance.
It is being said that many senior BJP leaders and veterans from the Lingayat community are being asked to step aside.
Give me an example if you have one. Jagdish Shettar is a special case. So is Laxman Savadi. Of the six-year MLC term, Savadi completed just 10 months. We were ready to give him ministership after elections. When he lost the election, we made him an MLC and later deputy chief minister. What else do these people want?
What do you say about Shettar and Savadi who you say have received so much from the party and now have left it?
They have cheated the party. People will teach them a lesson.
DK Shivakumar has said that the BJP is trying to disqualify Congress candidates and their nominations.
It is all nonsense. It is the Election Commission that takes decisions on nominations. Yesterday, his nomination was accepted. He is just doing that to gain some popularity. It does not befit or help Shivakumar.
Why is there no chief ministerial face for the BJP this time?
After the election, the national leadership will decide who it would be. They do not want to decide the election. Yesterday, Amit Shah ji had a meeting with me and everybody knows Lingayat support for the BJP in Karnataka. The decision will be taken after the election.
Apart from the ‘Modi Tsunami’ and Yediyurappa juggernaut that the BJP is planning in Karnataka, what are your plans to tour the state?
I will start my tour today from Shimoga district. I plan to cover 80 important constituencies and would like to cover at least four constituencies per day.
What is your advice to the 72 new faces who have been given tickets this time by the BJP?
They must work hard. They have been given a golden opportunity and 72 is not a small number. We have selected good candidates who are popular in their constituencies. According to me, more than 50% of the 72 new candidates will win. The central leadership carried surveys thrice and we also conducted surveys twice in Karnataka to decide ticket distribution.
It is being said that if the BJP comes back to power, it will affect the future of the Congress.
The Congress leadership is very disappointed. After this election, once we come to power and form the government, many Congress leaders will leave the party and join the BJP.
It is also being said that BJP may use ‘Operation Kamala’ to poach MLAs. What do you have to say about it?
That will not be necessary at all as we will come to power with absolute majority. There is no question of adjustment with any other political party. That does not arise.
How do you see the future of the JD-S? Is the party’s influence waning?
When we are coming to power with absolute majority, what should I discuss about the JD-S? I don’t want to discuss anything about the JD-S.
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