PM Modi’s magnetism ups BJP TRP in Karnataka
Lucknow: Votes will be cast for the Karnataka Assembly elections on May 10. Whatever opinion polls are coming out before this, almost all indicate a government with full majority of Congress. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, is elated by the huge turnout at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally and road show. You can gauge the popularity of PM Modi from the fact that two kilometer stretch of NH leading to Bailhongal in Belagavi district was filled with vehicles. People waited in roadside fields to catch a glimpse of their Prime Minister. PM Modi had come to address an election rally in Bailhongal. There are eight assembly seats around it.
Commuters traveling between Bailhongal and Belagavi waited for hours on buses to catch a glimpse of him. If someone had reached for the 10th time to attend PM Modi’s rally, someone had taken a day off. Out of 18 assembly seats in Belagavi, 11 are occupied by the BJP. Apart from this, this district located in the north-west corner of Karnataka has been a stronghold of the saffron party. However, the popularity of local candidates and rebels is troubling the BJP.
Prime Minister will do road show even today
The people handling the election management of the saffron party in Karnataka believe that the BJP campaign is gaining momentum with the Prime Minister’s rallies. Since April 29, PM Modi has held 13 public meetings and roadshows in the state. He will also hold a roadshow in Bengaluru today, which will be a long one. PM Modi is holding more public meetings than in 2018. Many of his speeches are being translated from Hindi to Kannada. PM Modi himself has also been seen speaking in Kannada to deliver the main message.
The morale of BJP workers increased
The morale of party workers has also increased after PM Modi’s rally. The massive turnout at Modi’s rallies has an effect on the entire region. Coastal Karnataka and the adjoining Malnad region has been a stronghold of the BJP. It includes Shivamogga and other districts. PM Modi has also been frequenting the old Mysore region. He has also held rallies in Hassan and Ramnagar. The influence of the party has been weak here. The BJP is trying to make inroads in Kolar, a district in old Mysuru. There was a huge crowd at PM Modi’s rally here on 30 April.
Voters in Karnataka vote differently in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The Congress had a major victory in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections, but a few months later in 1985, when the assembly elections were held, the Janata Party government was formed. In 2019, BJP won 25 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the Modi wave.
