Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018: Amit Shah to review BJP's poll preparedness

After victories in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, BJP chief Amit Shah will visit Karnataka today to review the party's organisation and strategy in the Congress-ruled state which will hold assembly polls in the first half of next year.

The visit comes as the BJP's Karnataka unit and the ruling Congress trade charges over getting Mahadayi River water from neighbouring Goa to the four drought-hit districts in the state's northern region. Goa is ruled by the BJP.

Amit Shah is scheduled to first meet the party MLAs, MLCs, MPs and other key leaders to chalk out a final road map to 2018 Karnataka elections.

It is expected that the national president may announce the appointment of additional prabharis for the Karnataka poll.

Party sources claim Amit Shah may in fact involve some national leaders, who are not part of the government, to oversee the BJP preparations for the polls.

The BJP is aiming to dislodge the Congress from the only big state, which sends 20 or more MPs to the Lok Sabha, it remains in power. The 224-seat assembly is likely to go to polls in May next year.

The Congress had captured power in the southern state in the last Assembly polls dethroning the BJP which was hit hard by a rebellion by B S Yeddyurappa, who had floated a party.

Yeddyurappa is back in the saffron fold and has been declared the BJP's chief ministerial candidate. The Congress campaign is being led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The Congress and the BJP had won 122 and 40 seats respectively in the last assembly polls.

Since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah have got the better of the Congress a number of assembly elections. However, the Congress hopes to do well in Karnataka after putting up a spirited fight against the BJP in Gujarat.

OneIndia News