Campaign to turn intensive after first phase of polls

Campaign in Mysore and other neighbouring parliamentary constituencies in this region is still in the hands of the second rung leaders. The senior leaders are busy campaigning for the first phase of polls in other Lok Sabha constituencies.

National level leaders are expected to make their presence felt from today, as curtains come down on the first phase election campaign, where polling will be held on April 16. More leaders, including those from Karnataka, are expected to campaign in this region after the first phase of polls on April 23 in the state.

The Congress is now gearing up to intensify its campaign in Mysore. It will open its central campaign office in Nazarbad tomorrow. KPCC observer B K Chandrasekhar, party’s Mandya candidate Ambareesh and former MP V Srinivasa Prasad are expected to launch three tableaux, one for each Assembly constituency for door-to-door campaign, at the function.

“After the inauguration, we will launch our campaign simultaneously in all 65 wards of the three Assembly segments. It will go on till April 28, the last day for campaigning,” city Congress committee general secretary R Murthy said today. The BJP took the lead by opening its campaign office. Its candidate C H Vijayashankar has completed two rounds of campaigning in the constituency.

Meanwhile, minister Shobha Karandlaje, who is also the in-charge of Mysore district, has held padayatras in the Assembly segments of the city, former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC working president D K Shivakumar addressed the Congress activists and warned them against complacency. For the Janata Dal(S) H D Kumaraswamy addressed party workers, directing his attack chiefly against the BJP. But the real campaign is yet to begin.

For the second rung leaders of the Congress, the murder of former police superintendent K S Thammaiah, who had struck terror in the hearts of anti-social elements in Mysore when he was serving here, came handy today to attack the BJP government.

“Should the people vote for the BJP which cannot even protect the life of a police officer,” questioned city Congress backward class president H A Venkatesh. He charged that murders had gone up, particularly in Bangalore, in the last nine months.

Former mayor Narayana criticised the BJP government with ignoring the slum dwellers. It had provided paltry Rs. 90 crore in the budget, of which Rs. 64 crore went for establishment alone, leaving only Rs 26 crore for 5 million poor living in the 2,700 slums in the state, including 72 in Mysore. On the other hand, it gifted Rs 120 crore to mutts, he said.

It was the Congress-led government at the Centre that took up the task of making Mysore and Bangalore, slum-free cities under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Reconstruction Mission, the SC leader said. Former mayor Anantha charged the Janata Dal (S) with indulging in large-scale corruption in elections. “This had corrupted the minds of the people so much that wherever partymen went for campaign people were asking money,” he lamented.