The former Congress president will announce the ‘fourth guarantee’ of the party.
Bengaluru:
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will enter Karnataka today for the first time after his successful ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and launch the grand old party’s election campaign. The Wayanad MP will address a mega rally in Belagavi district amid an increasingly heated election battle for the summer assembly polls.
Gandhi will take part in the ‘Yuva Kranti Rally’ to announce the fourth election promise of the Congress. The party’s unit in Karnataka, while launching its election campaign in January, had promised ‘five guarantees’ if voted to power.
So far three have been announced – 200 units of free electricity to all households, Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the female head of every household and 10 kg free rice to each member of a Below Poverty Line (BPL) household.
During his visit, the former Congress president will announce the fourth guarantee, which is aimed at youth. He will hold a meeting with Congress workers to discuss election strategies in Belagavi. He will leave for Tumakuru after delivering his first political speech ahead of the state elections. 70 km northwest of Bengaluru, where he will attend a rally.
Belagavi, with 18 assembly seats, has the second largest number of seats after Bengaluru, and the party hopes to strengthen its prospects in the northern region of the state. BJP has 13 out of 18 seats in Belagavi.
Elections are due in May this year to elect representatives for 224 assembly seats in Karnataka.