Akhilesh, Mayawati's proposed Karnataka visit is 'political tourism': BJP

No political discussion please 

The management of the Mysuru branch of Adyar Ananda Bhavan, a Chennai-based restaurant chain, is upset that customers occupy tables for hours, but order little food. The branch is near the Mysuru railway station and sees high footfall. With Karnataka Assembly polls on May 12, the place has been teeming with business persons and political workers who indulge in endless discussions; many of those who occupy tables for hours on end order little other than filter coffee. The restaurant has put up a request for its customers: “Dear customers, we request you to use the dining table only for eating purpose. Avoid real estate business transactions and political discussions inside the hotel.” Unfortunately, it seems the restaurant management’s suggestion is being followed more in its breach.

Polling season in Karnataka

Karnataka politicians are bracing themselves to campaign for the last leg of the Assembly polls under scorching heat. Since 2004, Karnataka elections have taken place at the height of summer. The 1999 Assembly polls were held in October, somewhat better for campaigning. However, the then Congress chief minister SM Krishna recommended dissolution of the state assembly six months before its tenure ended, and the elections were held in April 2004. If politicians, particularly those of the Congress, curse Krishna for advancing the elections, which the Congress lost, there are also those point out how Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy had an opportunity to change this by snapping his alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party earlier than when he actually did. The 2008 elections could then have taken place in the winter of 2007 rather than in the heat of May the next year. The last elections in the state were held in May 2013. 

Yogi's appeal

As the war of words among rivals intensifies in poll-bound Karnataka, the spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Uttar Pradesh unit Rakesh Tripathi has termed the proposed visits of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati to Karnataka as “political tourism”. Defending UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's visit to Karnataka before the polls, he said that BJP workers and people in Karnataka wanted to have a glimpse of the UP CM as he had “influenced the entire country” after becoming the chief minister. “This is the reason why there has been a continuous demand from various poll-bound states for Adityanath to campaign for BJP candidates,” Tripathi said.