Competition for poll tickets natural; BJP as national party will balance, work for victory:

Indicating that there is competition for poll tickets in the BJP with a number of aspirants in every Assembly segment wanting to contest the 2023 Assembly election, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday said it was ”natural” for a party, which is confident of victory, and as a national party everything would be balanced out.

He said the BJP’s ongoing ‘Jana Sankalpa Yatre’, a Statewide tour preparing the ground for the party ahead of Assembly polls, has been getting public response beyond expectations, and would turn out into ”Vijaya Sankalpa Yatre” in the days ahead, ensuring victory in the elections.

”We have already travelled in Hyderabad, Karnataka, central Karnataka, some coastal district and Belagavi regions, we are getting a huge response. Looking at public support, it is beyond our expectations. We are confident that this Jana Sankalapa Yatre will convert into Vijaya Sankalpa in the days to come,” Bommai said.

Responding to a question on reports of early rumblings within BJP, with too many ticket aspirants, he said, ”Competition is natural in a party about which there is a confidence that it will come back to power, but as ours is a national party, we will balance everything and work towards the victory.” With exit polls favouring the BJP retaining power in Gujarat, Bommai on Tuesday had exuded confidence that the ”pro-incumbency mandate” is likely in Karnataka too.

The BJP had launched the ‘Jan Sankalpa Yatre’ from Raichur in October, and plans to intensify it in the days ahead to cover remaining parts of the State.

As part of the Yatre, two teams — one led by Bommai and Yediyurappa, and the other led by State BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel — have planned to cover 52 Assembly segments across the State before December 25.

The State is expected to go to polls by April-May 2023, and the party has set a target of winning a minimum 150 out of total 224 seats in the Assembly.