BENGALURU: After Congress and BJP, JDS leaders too are now jumping on to the yatra bandwagon and are starting their own state tour ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls. The regional party leaders will start their Pancharatna Yatra on November 1 and are planning to crisscross 125 Assembly segments in 100 days. The party is planning to take up a campaign to hoist the Karnataka flag on all houses on Rajyotsava Day on November 1, while also opposing imposition of Hindi. It is likely to take up the language issues aggressively during the campaign.
A JDS leader said during the yatra, which will be led by former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, leaders will highlight the party’s plan for health, education, housing, women, youth empowerment, agriculture, irrigation and employment. Unlike BJP and Congress leaders, who have been criticising each other during their yatras, JDS will focus on highlighting its programmes and plans for the state, he said.
The party is also putting in place a system to gather public opinion on various issues. Those suggestions will be taken into consideration while preparing the party’s manifesto ahead of the Assembly polls, he said.
JDS state president CM Ibrahim said Kumaraswamy will start the tour from Mysuru and he from Kalaburagi. “BJP and Congress have failed and they do not have any programmes. During our yatra, we will talk about our party’s programme,” he said.
The tremendous response to the party’s event in Bengaluru last week indicated that JDS is not just a rural party, but also enjoys a considerable support base in urban areas. The party is confident of achieving its target of winning 123 seats, he added.