Bengaluru, Nov 14 — The BJP has decided to take the forthcoming Zilla Panchayat and Taluk Panchayat elections in Karnataka “very seriously” and initiate organisational measures to ensure victory, State BJP President and MLA B.Y. Vijayendra said on Saturday.
Speaking after a meeting of senior party leaders held at the Ramada Resort here under his leadership, Vijayendra said the party would consider the local body polls as elections of party workers and make concerted efforts to secure victory.
He said all senior party leaders would tour districts and taluks as part of the preparations and work towards strengthening the organisation at the grassroots level.
The meeting was attended by BJP national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Harish Dwivedi, co-in-charge Kasam Venkateshwaralu, former Chief Minister and BJP Parliamentary Board member B.S. Yediyurappa, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and other senior leaders.
The meeting discussed the rising prices of essential commodities and services, including milk, stamp paper, government bus fares, alcohol, petrol and diesel, and the difficulties faced by the common people due to repeated price hikes.
The leaders also alleged that the state government had become administratively inactive, corruption had crossed all limits and development works had come to a complete standstill.
The worsening drought situation and the hardships faced by farmers, people and livestock were also discussed. The meeting further deliberated on what the BJP described as the government's practice of making false statements and providing misleading information.
Vijayendra alleged that the government was treating farmers like beggars and had failed to provide adequate drought relief. He said the government had completely failed in drought management and had also failed to release widow pensions and old-age pensions for the past several months.
The BJP would consolidate all these issues and take them before the people, Vijayendra said, expressing confidence that the party would emerge victorious in all forthcoming elections.
The meeting also discussed launching agitations across all taluks to create public awareness about the steep rise in prices, deteriorating law and order and other issues concerning the state.
The party leaders decided to take these issues to the people as part of a wider campaign ahead of the local body elections.