Bengaluru: BJP national president Nitin Nabin, during his maiden visit to the state after taking charge, urged party functionaries not to take BJP’s presence at the helm in 22 states for granted and called for stronger grassroots engagement ahead of upcoming elections.At a meeting with party legislators, MPs and district presidents, Nabin urged members to focus on strengthening party organisation and preparing for local body and legislative council elections besides assembly bypolls and the 2028 general elections. There was no discussion on Rajya Sabha polls.Nabin is said to have stressed the importance of staying connected with citizens and party workers at the grassroots to strengthen public support and organisational reach.BJP core committee members, including MLCs CT Ravi and CN Ashwath Narayan said Nabin instructed the state unit to immediately begin preparations for the 2028 polls and warned against taking any election lightly. CN Manjunath, MP, said the immediate focus is assembly bypolls in Hiriyur and Dharwad constituencies.The Bengaluru Rural MP said strengthening the party structure at the mandal level was central to the two-hour discussions. “We have 300 mandals and training is ongoing on social media use, memes and artificial intelligence at that level,” said a BJP functionary.S Suresh Kumar, MLA, described the meeting as “business-like” and said Nabin sought accountability from party office-bearers.Sources say Nabin also emphasised the need for effective use of social media amid growing online anti-incumbency campaigns targeting the Congress govt.Addressing reporters alongside state BJP president BY Vijayendra, Nabin criticised the Congress govt in Karnataka, accusing it of neglecting development and welfare initiatives. “Congress has used the state as an ATM for Delhi,” he said.Sources say Nabin also discussed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue in Karnataka and referred to lessons from West Bengal that should be communicated within the organisation. Y Bharat Shetty, MLA, said Nabin instructed members to closely monitor public sentiment on social media, especially after “the anti-incumbency factor surfaced with the Cockroach Janata Party online”.
