The party’s senior leader LK Advani, national president Rajnath Singh, his deputy M Venkaiah Naidu and Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, along with the state leaders will launch the campaign simultaneously from six places in the state on the same day. Advani will launch the campaign from Ranebennur and Davangere while Sushma Swaraj will seek votes at a rally in Bangalore.
Singh will address a rally in Chikkodi while Naidu will launch campaign in the Telugu-speaking belt -Raichur, Shindhanur and Gangavathi. Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar will launch the campaign in Bidar and Gulbarga and national vice president D V Sadananda Gowda in Mysore.However, Gujarat CM Narendra Modi is yet to give dates to the state BJP. “He will give us the date in a day or two,” said state BJP president Prahlad Joshi while dismissing media reports that Modi was not keen to campaign in Karnataka owing to the bad image the party has earned in the last five years.
Meanwhile, the BJP has chalked out 192 programmes like rallies, public functions and road shows in which central leaders will participate. The party has also decided to hold at least three programmes each in 110 constituencies where it thinks it could win. Meanwhile, the BJP has decided to initiate action against Venkatgowda who did not file nomination from Malur despite the party giving him the B form.
Gowda on Wednesday had gone to the office of the returning officer to file nomination, but he reportedly withdrew himself from the fray to support former minister SN Krishnaiah Setty who is contesting as an independent candidate.
Since it was a last-minute development, the BJP could not field an alternative candidate.
