Modi to hit campaign trail in Karnataka today

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch his campaign blitzkrieg on Tuesday in poll-bound Karnataka to add heft to the BJPs efforts to unseat the Congress from power and form its government in the southern state for a second time.

Modi, who last visited Karnataka for campaigning in February, will be addressing rallies at Santhemarahalli in" Chamarajanagara district, and Udupi and Chikkodi in Belagavi on Tuesday. Ahead of his Udupi rally, Modi is scheduled to visit Krishna matha and meet the senior seer there. At least a dozen rallies are expected to follow in the coming days, party sources said.

According to the tentative schedule prepared by the PMO, Modi is expected to address 15 rallies in five days. In Gulbarga, Ballari, and Bengaluru on May 3, he is scheduled to visit Tumkur, Shivamogga, and Hubbali on May 5. On May 7 the Prime Minister is also expected to be in Raichur, Chitradurga, and Kolar.

Besides, according to the party sources, on May 8 he may address public rallies in Vijayapura, Mangaluru, and Bengaluru.

Reportedly, the saffron party has a stronghold in Bangalore, coastal Karnataka and Bombay Karnataka. At the same time, BJP is also busy in consolidating the LIBRA (Lingayats and Brahmins) vote bank, while the Congress has its solid AHINDA (combination of minorities, backward classes and Dalits) and the JDS has a loyal support of Okkaligas. BJP chief Amit Shah has been incessantly campaigning across the state for last one month and has been seeking blessings in many temples and religious Mutts to retain its 2008 mandate. However, many party seniors are reportedly miffed with the final candidate lists. Karnataka is the only state in Southern part of India, where BJP has a prominent presence and for the Congress, it is the only large state left in its regime. In this high-stakes political battle, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) further hopes for gain with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rallies as the last 2014, Lok Sabha Elections result shows that BJP bagged 17seats, while Congress got 9 and JD (S) managed 2 seats in the state.

The Assembly elections are scheduled on May 12 for 224 seats and the counting will be done on May 15.