Bengaluru: Riding high on the hope that they would sweep the ruling Congress off its feet in the 2018 Assembly polls and win 150 plus seats accomplishing the mission of BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa, party leaders here needed an Amit Shah to remind them that they may not win even 80 considering their working style, which was anything but result oriented.
The wake-up call for the state top brass came at the two core committee meetings held on Saturday and at the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting on Sunday where Mr Shah grimly told them that all he wanted was results and not suggestions.
Reeling out statistics, he said the party had enrolled 87 lakh new members during the drive in Karnataka but wondered how many of them were in touch with the party office? Only 57 lakh members could be contacted, the remaining 30 lakh could not be reached, he disclosed.
Shah’s formula for winning the polls? Leaders would have to contact the 57 lakh members and track the missing 30 lakh. Each MLC should adopt an Assembly constituency and each MLA a neighbouring seat, where he/she should ensure the party’s victory.
The party won 79 seats in 2004 polling 87 lakh votes, which went up to 94 lakh in 2008 when it won 110 seats. It was therefore no easy task securing the required votes to win a comfortable majority, he reminded the leaders.
