CM Adityanath, Akhilesh, Mayawati to address rallies in poll-bound Karnataka
(Sourced from PTI)
The Karnataka Assembly polls are the new battlefield for political stalwarts of Uttar Pradesh, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav, and BSP chief Mayawati, who will be crisscrossing the state to turn the tide in favor of their respective parties. Adityanath will be seen in action, addressing as many as 35 rallies and road shows the BJP has organized for him.
As per the party's plans, the UP chief minister's hectic Karnataka tour will begin on May 3 and he will be there holding rallies daily between May 7 and 10, said BJP spokesperson Shalabh Mani Tripathi.
Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav will also be touring the state to champion his party's cause in those constituencies where the SP is in the fray. "The SP has fielded over two dozen candidates in Karnataka. The party president will be campaigning there for our candidates. The tour details will be finalized in a day or two," said SP spokesman Rajendra Chowdhury.
BSP supremo Mayawati, whose party has entered into a pact with HD Deve Gowda's JD(S), has already started working in Karnataka with her rallies starting yesterday from Mysuru. She will be addressing a rally in Chitradurga today and Belagavi and Bidar on May 5-6 respectively. The BSP is contesting on 20 seats and is hoping to open an account there with the JD(S) support.
Polling will be held in a single phase on May 12 for all the 224 Assembly seats in the Congress-ruled state of Karnataka, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes.
Ahead of the Adityanath's visit, a Congress leader had made certain derogatory remarks against him. BJP leaders say that a counter-offensive from the UP CM is very likely. "Expect a counter (attack) for sure," a BJP leader said. In mid-April, Karnataka Congress working president Dinesh Gundu Rao had set the tone for Adityanath's visit by openly asking the people of Karnataka to boycott him.
In between his rallies and road shows, Adityanath is also expected to visit temples and mutts as the BJP looks to play the Hindutva card in a state where it is anxious to regain power it lost 10 years ago.
