Leaders of four major political parties took to a last minute wooing of voters by holding road shows in Mysore on Tuesday as minutes ticked away for the end of campaign at 5 pm in the 11 constituencies in Karnataka in the third phase polls for the Lok Sabha.
KPCC president R V Deshpande arrived by a helicopter and led the Congress road show, accompanied by candidate A H Viswanath, C M Ibrahim and other leaders.
Former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah stepped up his campaign in other parts of 64 municipal wards in the city, launching his campaign from Sharadadevi Nagara in a decorated ‘Ratha’ (chariot), accompanied by cyclists who carried Congress flags and banners. Opposition leader in the Assembly Mallikarjun Kharge also joined the campaign and addressed the press.
Mysore district-incharge minister Shoba Karandlaje maintained her campaign tempo in different localities going in the ‘Vijaya Sankalpa Ratha’ from the Anjaneyaswamy Temple, near the Palace, while chief minister B S Yeddyurappa left for Nagamangala for his last minute campaign by a helicopter this morning, after campaigning for two days in Mysore and other areas. Minister Katta Subramanya Naidu addressed the press and joined the road show with other leaders.
For the Janata Dal, state president H D Kumaraswamy held a road show in the morning from the Anjaneyaswamy Temple, near the Palace. Not to lag behind, the Bahujan Samaj Party too took out a road show from the same place, its state president M Muniyappa leading. Amidst these rallies, the members of Round Table India and Ladies Circle India conducted a voting awareness campaign, “Let’s Vote” from the palace compound.
BJP leader Venkayya Naidu addressed a rally in Hunsur on Sunday and another BJP leader Yashawant Sinha addressed the press in Mysore.
Expressing support to Third Front candidates, the Communist Party of India leaders also held a campaign and a press meet yesterday. JD(S) national general secretary Kunwar Danish Ali, while addressing a press conference, criticised the BJP, saying, the state had fallen from 3rd-4th position to last but one position in growth in the last two and half years.
A total of 156 candidates are in fray in the constituencies of Bagalkot, Haveri, Dharwad, Davanagere, Shimoga, Hassan, Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakashina Kannada, Mandya, Mysore and Chamarajnagar (SC), having an electorate of 1.55 crore.
The stakes are high for the ruling BJP as it had won in six constituencies-Bagalkot, Dharwad, Davanagere, Shimoga Udupi-Chikmagalur and Mysore-in the 2004 poll.
Former prime minister and JD(S) chief H D Devegowda is seeking re-election from Hassan while in another high-profile contest, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s son B Y Raghavendra is trying for his maiden entry into Lok Sabha from Shimoga, contesting against former chief minister S Bangarappa, who recently joined the Congress from SP. Other prominent candidates whose poll fortunes would be decided in this phase include cine star Ambareesh of Congress, seeking re-election in Mandya and state unit BJP president D V Sadanadna Gowda, trying his luck from new turf in Udupi-Chikmagalur. Seventeen constituencies in the state went to polls in the first phase on April 23.
