Hans News Service Shivamogga

TheKarnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) on Wednesday launched its ‘Bharat Jodo 2.0’ padyatra from Shikaripura in Shivamogga district, targeting 84 Assembly constituencies where the Congress was defeated in the 2023 Karnataka elections.

The padyatra is being led by KPCC president B.K. Hariprasad and is planned as an 84-day programme covering 29 districts. Congress leaders said the initiative is aimed at strengthening the party organisation and increasing direct interaction with people in constituencies where the party lost in the previous Assembly election.

The programme was launched from Kittadahalli in Shikaripura taluk. The march proceeded through Mattikote, Hosanagar Cross and Nelavagilu before heading towards Shikaripura town. According to Minister Madhu Bangarappa, around 10 km will be covered during the first day’s padyatra.

A public meeting has been planned in Shikaripura after the march. Ministers Madhu Bangarappa and K.S. Basavanna, along with other Congress leaders, workers and local party functionaries, participated in the programme.The selection of Shikaripura for the launch has drawn attention because the constituency is represented by BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra. It was earlier represented by his father and former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa.

The Congress has linked the programme to the completion of four years since Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Karnataka in 2022. The new programme, however, has a different state-level focus, with the party planning activities across constituencies where it faced defeat in the 2023 Assembly polls.

Congress leaders said the padyatra would provide an opportunity to interact with residents, understand local issues and strengthen the party’s presence at the grassroots level.The next phase of the programme is expected to begin from October 4 or 5 in other constituencies. The party has planned the campaign across 84 Assembly segments over 84 days.

The launch from Shikaripura has also brought the Congress programme into focus because of the constituency’s political association with the BJP’s state leadership. The Congress leadership has maintained that the padyatra is part of its organisational programme covering the constituencies identified for the 84-day campaign.