BJP eyes turnaround in Karnataka as Modi set to address rallies

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BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will launch a blitzkrieg from November 16 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.

He added that the party is expecting more than five lakh people at the Bangalore rally, for which Rs 10 would be charged as entrance fee.

Ever since it was voted out of power earlier this year, BJP has been struggling to rebuild its base, hoping that the "NaMo" card would do the trick in its recovery.

Referring to Modi's proposed rally in Bihar, BJP general secretary Ananth Kumar said that the Gujarat Chief Minister would address it at Patna's historical Gandhi Maidan from where Jayprakash Narayan had launched the (JP) movement against the Indira Gandhi Government.

"We expect that the maidan would 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, Kumar demanded resignation of the PM, saying he should also face CBI probe.

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

He said the BJP will release the list of party candidates for Chhattisgarh and Delhi Assembly elections after its Central Election Committee meeting to be held in New Delhi on October 28.