Rahul to re-visit Karnataka, release Assembly poll manifesto

Bengaluru/New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi will again pay a two-day visit to Karnataka from Thursday and release his party’s manifesto for the May 12 Assembly polls, a party official said.

The Congress chief will visit Uttara Kannada district in northwestern part of the state, about 450 km from here, on Thursday to hold several public meetings in Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar, and Bhatkal.

“Gandhi will also release the election manifesto in Mangaluru on Friday in the presence of senior leaders like (Karnataka incharge) K.C. Venugopal and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah,” Congress state unit Spokesman Ravi Gowda told IANS in Bengaluru.

Gandhi will later address public meetings in Bantwal and Gonikoppal towns in Dakshina Kannada district on Friday.

In the evening, the Congress leader will address a public meeting in Periyapatna in Mysuru district, about 200km southwest from here.

Rahul Gandhi had earlier asked party leaders from Karnataka to prepare a “people’s manifesto”.

Rahul Gandhi’s mother and former party chief Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior leaders Shashi Tharoor, Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad, among others, will also visit the state for campaigning.

Rahul Gandhi earlier visited Karnataka on April 7-8 for campaigning.

IANS