Date:26/11/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/11/26/stories/2006112610410400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Vijay Kumar heads Bangalore BJP unit

Staff Reporter

HANDOVER: Outgoing BJP Bangalore city president Aswathnarayana (second from left) handing over charge to his successor B.N. Vijay Kumar (centre) in the presence of party leaders (from left) Aravind Limbavali, H.N. Ananth Kumar and R. Ashok at a func tion in Bangalore on Saturday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party's new president of the Bangalore city unit, B.N. Vijay Kumar, on Saturday announced that he would take steps to strengthen the party at the booth level ahead of elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

Mr. Kumar, who took over as president from Mr. Ashwathnarayana at a function here, said he would strive to ensure that the first Mayor of Greater Bangalore would be from the BJP.

The "corruption" indulged in by the Congress during its seven years in power in the Bangalore Mahanagra Palike (BMP) would be one of the major issues on which the BJP would contest the BBMP elections, he said.

Mr. Kumar is a bachelor and he comes from the RSS ranks. He is considered a strong organisational man. He narrowly lost the 2004 Assembly elections from Jayanagar constituency.

MP's advice

BJP national general secretary H.N. Ananth Kumar, MP, advised Mr. Kumar to take all sections of the party with him.

He exuded confidence that the BJP in Bangalore would grow in strength under Mr. Kumar's leadership.

He said the creation of Greater Bangalore would result in uniform development of the city and its suburbs.

Mr. Ashwathnarayana said the Congress was opposing the creation of Greater Bangalore on the grounds that it would be difficult to supply drinking water to the new areas coming under BBMP.

But the new areas that would be part of Greater Bangalore were mainly the layouts that were formed during S.M. Krishna's regime as Chief Minister. He sought to know why the Congress was silent when these new layouts were developed.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare R. Ashok, who is also Bangalore Urban district in-charge, said the Government was considering whether the Hemavathi drinking water project could be extended to Bangalore. Minister for Sericulture Ramachandra Gowda; Vimala Gowda, MLC; and BJP general secretaries S. Suresh Kumar and Aravind Limbavali spoke. P.C. Mohan, S. Raghu and Nirmal Kumar Surana, MLAs, were present.