BJP eyes turnaround in Karnataka as Narendra Modi set to address rallies

BANGALORE: BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will from November 16 launch a blitzkrieg across Karnataka where the party is hoping to use the "NaMo" card to make a turnaround in the next Lok Sabha polls.

"Modi will address nine rallies in two months in the state. The first rally will be addressed here on November 16," state BJP President Prahlad Joshi told reporters after the party's Political Affairs Committee meeting.

BJP is expecting five lakh people at the Bangalore rally for which Rs 10 would be charged as entrance fee, Joshi said.

Ever since it was voted out of power in the May Assembly polls, making way for the Congress rule, BJP has been struggling to rebuild its base, hoping that the "NaMo" (Narendra Modi) card would do the trick in its recovery.

Referring to the coming rally of Modi in Bihar, BJP General Secretary Ananth Kumar said the Gujarat Chief Minister would address the rally at Patna's historical Gandhi Maidan from where Jayprakash Narayan launched the (JP) movement against the Indira Gandhi government then.

"We expect the maidan will be filled after a gap of 35 years," he added.

Referring to former Coal Secretary P C Parakh's stand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also be counted as a 'conspirator' in the alleged irregularities in coal-block allotment since he gave final approval to every decision as the coal minister, Kumar demanded resignation of Singh, saying he should also face CBI probe.

Not only Parakh's role but also other industrialists' roles had to be investigated, Kumar added.

He said the BJP will release the list of party candidates for Chhattisgarh and Delhi Assembly elections after party's Central Election Committee meeting to be held in New Delhi on October 20.