Bengaluru: While, assuring that there would be no poaching of MLAs from opposition parties in Karnataka, newly appointed State president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shikaripura MLA B.Y. Vijayendra on Wednesday exuded confidence of winning 28 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.
Outgoing State president Nalin Kumar Kateel handed over the charge to Vijayendra in presence of former Chief Ministers B.S. Yeddyurappa and D.V. Sadananda Gowda, former ministers-D.H. Shankara Murthy, Govind Karjol and Byrathi Basavaraj at a function held at the party office in Bengaluru City.
It may be recalled here that BJP resorted to poaching of MLAs of opposition parties and its first success in poaching MLAs of opposition parties in 2009 and then B.S. Yeddyurappa became the Chief Minister. Another attempt to install a BJP government was in 2019 when BJP succeeded in making 17 MLAs of both Janata Dal Secular and Congress party and then a BJP government came into existence in Karnataka having B.S. Yeddyurappa as the Chief Minister.
Speaking after his induction at the party office in Bengaluru, Vijayendra, son of B.S. Yeddyurappa, observed that ruling party MLAs (Congress party) would indulge in infighting over lack of funds to their constituencies to take-up development works.
Besides, winning 28 Lok Sabha polls, he said, to strengthen the party to return to power in 2028 Assembly polls and initiate steps to strengthen the party and claimed that he has been backed by leaders to occupy the post of State BJP Chief. He said that his first task is to strive for the success of the party in Taluk and Zilla Panchayat polls and said to have taken the Taluk and Zilla Panchayat polls seriously.
Vijayendra alleged that the ruling Congress party which came into power about six months back has indulged in massive corruption and its party MLAs would teach the State Government a lesson in coming days.
Outgoing State President Nalin Kumar Kateel sought party leaders to extend cooperation to Vijayendra as they supported him in discharging his duties as the State head of BJP in Karnataka.
