Karnataka: Gearing up for 2023 polls, Congress announces statewide padyatra

In the first phase, the Jana Dhwani padayatra will cover 100 constituencies where the Congress had lost in the 2018 Karnataka polls.

Setting its eyes on the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress in Karnataka will start a Jana Dhwani padayatra (‘march for people’s voice’) in at least 100 Assembly constituencies across the state from March 3.

Karnataka unit president D K Shivakumar Tuesday officially announced plans to undertake the ‘padayatra’ in constituencies where the Congress had lost in the 2018 polls.

In the next 10 months, Congress leaders will visit these constituencies to strengthen the party from its grassroots in an effort to win the 2023 Assembly elections.

“The first phase of the padayatra will start from Wednesday, covering 100 constituencies. We will be highlighting failures of the BJP government at the Centre and the state throughout the padayatra,” Shivakumar said.

Opposition party leader in the state Siddaramaiah, Opposition party leader in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, among others, will join the yatra, which will start from the state Congress head office in Bengaluru. It will be formally inaugurated from Devenahalli in Bengaluru Rural district at 10.30 am and end at Chikkaballapur.

D K Shivakumar on Monday visited a famous Lord Ganesha temple in Mulbagal in Kolar district, to seek blessings for this ambitious plan by the party.

After visiting the temple, Shivakumar said, “Former chief minister S M Krishna, when he was the state Congress chief, had come to this temple to pray when he started his campaign. Hence, I too am starting the campaign by taking blessings from Lord Ganesha here. I have also prayed for the prosperity of the state.”

Krishna is now in the BJP.

The Congress had come to power in Karnataka after it conducted a padayatra to Ballari against illegal mining in 2013. After that, this is the first such large-scale padayatra planned by the party.

According to party sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is busy touring poll-bound states in the country, is also expected to take part in the padayatra later this month.

As per the plan, the party is planning to reach residents of all constituencies via the padayatra, in a phased manner.

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