Can young turks give BJP a boost?

Bengaluru: Encouraged by its performance in the old Mysuru region during the just concluded Zilla and Taluk Panchayat elections, the BJP is now relying on its young leaders like former Higher Education Minister, C.T. Ravi to boost its appeal among voters here even more.

“The BJP has to strengthen its presence in  the old Mysuru region by the 2018 elections as currently its organisational base is weak in Ramanagara, Mandya and Hassan districts. At one time Hassan  sent three BJP  MLAs to the Assembly, but infighting in its local unit eroded the  party’s base here. Now it wants to  induct younger workers into the party in these parts to get a stronger foothold in the  old Mysuru region,” said a senior party leader.

The BJP did remarkably well in Mysuru, Chamarajanagara and Hassan districts in the recent ZP and TP elections despite its weak organisational network here,  and saw its vote share increase in the region  mainly thanks to young voters, who switched their support from the Janata Dal (S) to it. The party’s extensive membership drive in the old-Mysuru region also seems to have helped it.  Keen to hold on to its  young voters , the BJP is turning to its younger leaders and workers to continue engaging with them  in the region. Mr. Ravi is considered a safe bet as he put in great effort in Hassan district during the  ZP and TP election campaign, boosting the BJP’s chances here considerably.

The BJP had earlier given former Home Minister,  R. Ashok the responsibility of extending its influence in the old Mysuru region, especially rural Bengaluru, Ramanagara and Mandya districts, but he failed to improve its chances beyond Bengaluru.