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All eyes on Rahul Gandhi campaign in Hosapete

Congress president to interact with youth & farmers, visit religious places like temples, dargahs and maths.

Bengaluru/Ballari: Will Congress president Rahul Gandhi reproduce his soft Hindutva strategy, tested during the recent polls in Gujarat, during electioneering in Karnataka commencing on Saturday?

Setting off on a roadshow from Hosapete in Ballari district, Mr Gandhi plans to criss-cross Hyderabad Karnataka region for three days, and interact with youth, farmers and businessmen besides addressing a series of rallies. Most important: he would visit temples, maths and dargha to cash in on religious sentiments of voters.

Unlike in Gujarat, Mr Gandhi would expand his soft Hindutva strategy to accommodate visits to Muslim and Christian places of worships as minority voters are high in number.

KPCC president, Dr G. Parameshwara, said Mr Gandhi would visit Ballari, Koppal, Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi and Bidar before returning to New Delhi on February 13.

Dr Parameshwara said the Congress president would visit the famous Huligamma Temple in Yadgir, Gavi Siddeshwara Math of Lingayats in Koppal, Khwaja Bande Nawaz Darga in Kalaburgi, the residence of the late Qamarul Islam, former Minister, and also the Anubhava Mantapa at Basavakalyan in Bidar during his tour.

Apart from the visits to temples and other religious places, Mr Gandhi would interact with representatives of farmers at Sindhanur in Raichur district and also professionals and businessmen at Kalaburgi besides meeting youth and students, the KPCC chief added.

Meanwhile, local Muslim leaders of the party are readying to persuade him to field a Muslim candidate from a constituency in the district in the coming assembly poll. Pointing out that the district has a large number of Muslims, community leaders believe it's only fair that one of them is fielded in the elections. Of the nine assembly constituencies in the district, seven have been reserved for SCs and STs and two, Hosapete and Ballari City, are open for general category candidates.

At present, Ballari city is represented by Congress MLA, Anil H Lad and Hospete was represented by Mr Anand Singh, who recently quit the BJP to join the Congress. While he is widely expected to be fielded by the party from Hospete, Muslim leaders have not given up hope of securing the Hosapete ticket.

Giving Mr Singh competition are mining baron, Hothur Shadab Wahab, and local leaders, Imam Niyaji and Siraj Sheikh.

"Mr Anand Singh’s entry into the Congress party doesn't stop me from seeking a party ticket from here. I'm sure the Congress high command will do social justice to Muslims,"contended Mr Shadab.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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