Bengaluru, May 8 In run up for the crucial Karnataka Assembly polls, the Congress campaigned aggressively in the southern state with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra holding 85 public meetings and road shows.
Kharge, who was elected as the party President last year, camped in Karnataka, his home state, from April 15 onwards and addressed 36 public meetings, including one with former party chief Sonia Gandhi in Hubballi.
Kharge, 81, who is also the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, addressed four press conferences in the state ahead of the polling in the state.
Meanwhile, former party chief Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as a Lok Sabha in March this year following conviction in the defamation case by a Gujarat court, also addressed 23 public meetings and road shows in the state and highlighted the alleged corruption under the BJP government in the southern state.
He kicked off his Karnataka campaigning from Kolar, where he made the Modi surname remark on April 13, 2019 while campaigning for party candidate and former Union minister K.H. Muniyappa, who eventually lost to BJP candidate S. Muniswamy as the BJP won 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.
Besides Rahul Gandhi, his sister and party General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi too addressed 26 public meetings and road shows in the state and targeted the ruling BJP government at the centre and in the state.
During her campaigning she also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions by highlighting the alleged corruption in the state. According to party leaders, the Congress' five guarantees announced in its manifesto were also highlighted by all the leaders in the state. The Congress has announced Gruha Jyothi (200 units of free electricity), Gruha Lakshmi Rs 2,000 monthly to every woman head of the family, Anna Bhagya-10 kg of food grains of their choice (among rice, ragi, jowar, millet) to every person in a BPL family, and free travel to all women in regular Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation and Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation buses.
Polling for the 224 member assembly is scheduled on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13.
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