Bengaluru, February 28: Former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Wednesday said the Indian Air Force's strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Pakistan has created a wave in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and will help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) win more than 22 seats in Karnataka in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Yeddyurappa's remarks might add fuel to the opposition's allegation of "blatant politicisation of the sacrifices of the armed forces" by the leaders of the ruling party (BJP).

"The atmosphere....day by day the wind is increasingly blowing in favour of the BJP. Yesterday's (Tuesday's) action of destroying terror hideouts by entering inside Pakistan has resulted in a pro-Modi wave in the country, the results of which can be seen in coming Lok Sabha polls," Yeddyurappa said in Chitradurga. "It has enthused youths; all this will help us in winning more than 22 Lok Sabha seats (in Karnataka)," the Karnataka BJP chief added. In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, BJP won 16 seats in Karnataka, the Congress 10 and Janata Dal (Secular) 2. Yeddyurappa Audio Clip Row: Kumaraswamy Orders SIT Probe After Former Karnataka CM Admits Meeting JDS MLA's Son.

The ruling alliance Congress and JD(S), who have decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls together, have begun discussions about seat sharing. Sharing of seats is expected to be a litmus test for both parties with JD(S) demanding for 10-12 seats, while Congress has maintained that seat sharing will be based on merit. Karnataka Coalition Government in Minority, Claims BJP as 9 Congress MLAs Skip Assembly Session.

India conducted a major preemptive strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp early Tuesday, killing a “very large number” of terrorists, trainers and senior commanders. India’s action comes close on the heels of the Pulwama incident in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed in one of the deadliest terror strikes in decades in Jammu and Kashmir.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 28, 2019 09:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).