A tough job for the BJP in Karnataka

There is no doubt Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal remains undiminished, but to leverage that in Karnataka, the BJP will need a strong leader on the ground

The battlefield that Union Home Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Shah has set for the party in Karnataka is an odd one.

Mr Shah was in Bengaluru on official work but later proceeded to the Old Mysuru region for a massive political public meeting.

A short political history: Old Mysuru has 11 districts and 89 seats in the 224-member Karnataka Assembly. Bengaluru, with 28 seats, falls in the Old Mysuru region. In 2008, when the BJP was at its peak in the state, the party won 28 seats from this region. Seventeen came from Bengaluru and 11 from