Amit Shah wants total control over old Mysore

Bengaluru: Union Home Minister Amit Shah surely did not mince words and got down to business straight away at the closed-door meeting with the BJP top brass and some key cadre functionaries in the city on Friday. After completing his engagements in Mandya 95 kilometres from the city he drove straight to Bengaluru and took part in a cooperative convention and later was locked up with his party brass.

Though it was a closed-door meeting a few glimpses were surely 'allowed to leak' for the newshounds. Amit Shah came prepared with a dossier full of details of 45 assembly seats in five districts of Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya Ramanagaram and Tumukuru. The details were exhaustive and the BJP top brass was gasping for breath as Shah briefed them about the strategy. For the first time, the BJP state leaders could get a thorough run down on how tough the elections of 2023 will be and how little time they had.

To make it simple for them the 45 Assembly Constituencies in the old Mysore region, Shah had categorised them into three groups A, B and C. The A categories were those where BJP was in No1 or No 2 positions and how either the party could retain the Number 1 position or cross over from No2 position to the No. 1 position.

The constituencies that are categorised under the B category were those where BJP had made advances in the 2013 and 2018 assembly elections in the light of 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. And the C category had where BJP was hopelessly lagging behind and how their winnability can be improved.

Analysing Shah's long visit to the state this time focussed on the old Mysore region, political knowledge banks see it as a clear indication of things in store for the Indian National Congress and JDS. Tacit understanding with JDS and outright poaching are also under consideration.