Sushma, on the other hand, uses her emotional bond with the state to the advantage of the party. After the Bellary election, the BJP leader has been visiting the state every year to celebrate “Varmalaxmi Puja” that fell during the 1999 election period. “They regard me as a Kannada putri (daughter of Karnataka). So this is only to be expected,” she told The Indian Express. The senior BJP leader, known for her excellent oratorical skills, combines a fair smattering of Kannada (that she picked during her campaign against Indira Gandhi in the 1978 Lok Sabha byelection in Chikmagalur) in her speeches. “We were asked to drop the references to the Congress and the Union Government in our party’s TV campaign that targeted the exponential rise in food prices. But can they stop me from using my rallies to drive home the point?” she asked. On the demand for Modi in the state, she added: “He has his own charisma and thus following.”