BJP confident of putting up good show in local body elections

Minister for Energy Shobha Karandlaje, expressed confidence that the party would bag 22-24 zilla panchayat seats of the 30 in the state in the elections, to be held in two phases on December 26 and December 31.

Asked about the impact of scams on election results, she shot back: "What's the connection between the scams and the poor?"

"Scams are fight of big people and they are slugging it out," she said, arguing that people of Karnataka are not concerned by alleged scams involving denotification of land by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board around Bangalore and Bangalore Development Authority in allotment of sites.

She said the poor and the farmers would just look at their benefits and gains under the BJP regime. Speaking separately, Housing Minister V Somanna said traditionally, the ruling party always had put up good show in local body elections.

"We are fighting the elections on the plank of development programmes initiated by Yeddyurappa," he said.