BJP to launch four-day Jan Swaraj Yatra from November 18

Bengaluru: The BJP will launch a four-day 'Jan Swaraj Yatra' across Karnataka from November 18 with an eye on winning the coming taluk panchayat and district panchayat elections, the party's state spokesperson Ganesh Karnik said here on Tuesday.

"We are launching 'Jan Swaraj Yatra' for four days from November 18. Four teams will travel across the four corners of the State for four days with a focus on winning the taluk and district panchayat elections," he said.

Karnik was briefing reporters on the BJP State office bearers meeting on Tuesday.

BJP national general secretaries Arun Singh, B L Santhosh and C T Ravi, BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Karnataka BJP state general secretary Arun Kumar (organisation), ministers, legislators and other State level office-bearers attended the event, he added.

Karnik said the objective of the 'Yatra' was to strengthen the party organisation at the booth level. Apart from it, the BJP leaders also discussed the strategies to win the MLC elections for 25 seats in December 10 and two seats in June next year. Deliberations were also held on the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike elections, Karnik said.

The BJP spokesperson added that the outcome of the bypoll results were also discussed in the meeting.

While the BJP won Sindagi, it lost Hangal in Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's home district Haveri to Congress.

Karnik said the Hangal elections had always been tough for all the political parties as the victory margin was never high.

A decision was also taken to hold the State executive committee meeting on December 18 and 19 at Hubballi, he said.

To a query on the Congress starting a pada yatra from Mekedatu to Bengaluru to demand speedy completion of the project across Cauvery in Kanakapura district, Karnik wondered why the party did not start the project when it was in power for five years from 2014 to 2019.