Ahead of the assembly elections next year, the BJP has been wallowing in a welter of ideas that has resurrected the debate on populism versus pragmatism, as it has to pander to two important but incompatible constituencies, of the freebie consuming masses and Bengaluru's heavy hitters craving for even roads, pristine lakes and unbroken power supply, reports Radhika Ramaseshan.
'The BJP had no traction in Karnataka and Siddaramaiah would have scraped through if he had not done all that he did.' 'When you pander to one community, the other community gets irritated.' 'Then, when you make fun of the cow and the treating of the cow as sacred, in your effort to belittle the Sangh Parivar and its obscurantism, you are hurting your normal voters too.' 'It is okay to make fun of the Sangh Parivar, but it is not okay to make fun of all Hindus.'
Expansion of the BJP's base in the South, will be the main focus of the party's two-day national executive meeting
While B Sriramulu, once considered a trusted lieutenant of the mining barons from Bellary, the Reddy brothers, announced re-joining the BJP recently, senior party leader Sushma Swaraj seems vehemently opposed to it, putting the party in a spot of bother. Vicky Nanjappa reports
There is a lot riding for both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress in Karnataka and both these parties should have their final list of candidates out by March 9. The BJP has almost finalised its list and party sources claim that it would not have taken this much time, but there was a great deal of confusion where the Bangalore North, Chickmagalur and Mysore seats were concerned. Vicky Nanjappa reports
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