Congress president Rahul Gandhi will launch the first leg of his party's poll campaign in Karnataka on February 10, the state unit chief of the party, G Parameshwara, said here today. The Karnataka polls are expected to be held in March- April.
The dates for polling to the 225-member state Assembly are yet to be announced by the Election Commission (EC). Parameshwara was in the national capital to attend a meeting called by Gandhi to review the party's preparedness and discuss its strategy with senior leaders in the run-up to the Karnataka polls. "Rahulji will visit Karnataka from February 10-12 for the first leg of the (poll) campaign," Parameshwara told reporters after the meeting. Gandhi would start his Karnataka tour from Bengaluru and also travel to the other parts of the state, he said, adding, "Various programmes have been lined up on all three days. Rahulji will address farmers, intellectuals and students among others." Besides Parameshwara, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, state Congress' working presidents S R Patil and Dinesh Gundu Rao, the party's Karnataka in-charge KC Venugopal were also present at the meeting, besides senior Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, K Rahman Khan, K H Muniyappa, Oscar Fernandes and Veerappa Moily. Punjab and Karnataka are the only two big states in the country which are ruled by the Congress.
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