CM Bommai and Yediyurappa to begin statewide tour ahead of Karnataka polls
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa will kickstart the party's election tour in the state from Raichur on Tuesday, in the run-up to assembly polls next year.
The duo are scheduled to cover 52 Assembly segments till December 25, as part of the 'Jana Sankalpa Yatra'.
The ruling party's tour begins at the time when Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi is passing through the state.
"The intention of the Jana Sankalpa Yatra is to inform the programmes, work and policies of BJP government in the state and at the Centre, and also send a message to BJP office-bearers and workers to prepare for elections with a resolve to bring BJP back to power in the state," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here ahead of leaving for Raichur, he said, "There is enthusiasm everywhere. Through the Jana Sankalpa Yatra, we hope to gain the confidence of the people and to be victorious in the 2023 assembly polls."
According to the Chief Minister, during the tour, he will be interacting with beneficiaries of various schemes and visit certain places as planned by the local party functionaries.
Responding to a question, Bommai said he and his party are not worried about Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, and said the foot march has no impact.
"The world knows, it is 'jodoing' (uniting) whom and 'thodoing' (dividing) whom. It has no importance. We are not worried, we are doing our sankalpa (resolution) yatra to win the election by informing people about our programmes. There is no connection with it (BJP's tour with Congress' yatra)," he added.
Incidentally, BJP's tour begins from Raichur Rural assembly segment, an ST reserve seat that has a huge presence of the Valmiki community.
The state government had last week decided to hike the reservation quota for SCs from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for STs from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. The 'Valmiki Gurupeetha' seer Prasannananda Swami has been on a hunger strike demanding the ST quota hike.
Bommai and Yediyurappa will be touring predominantly in the 'Kalyana Karnataka' region.
Of the 52 seats which they will be touring, 20 constituencies are currently represented by Congress MLAs and four by JD(S).
Also, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel will be touring Haveri, Gadag and Hubli-Dharwad over the next three days.
The party has also planned seven rallies by SC Morcha in Mysuru on October 16; OBC Morcha in Kalaburagi on October 30, Raitha (farmer) Morcha in Hubballi on November 13; Yuva (youth) Morcha in Shivamogga on November 27; ST Morcha in Ballari on November 27; Mahila (women) Morcha in Bengaluru on December 25 and Minority Morcha in Vijayapura on January 8 ahead of the polls.
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Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by 58 runs
Ahmedabad, Apr 9 (PTI): Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by 58 runs in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.
Chasing 218 for a win, the Royals were all out for 159 in 19.2 overs.
Shimron Hetmyer top-scored for RR with a 32-ball 52 while captain Sanju Samson chipped in with a 28-ball 41.
For GT, Prasidh Krishna took three wickets while Rashid Khan and Sai Kishore got two each.
Earlier, Sai Sudharsan struck a breezy 82 to help GT post 217 for 6.
Sudharsan's 53-ball innings was studded with eight fours and three sixes, while M Shahrukh Khan and Jos Buttler made 36 each.
Brief Scores:
Gujarat Titans: 217 for 6 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 82, Jos Buttler 36, M Shahrukh Khan 36; Maheesh Theekshana 2/54, Tushar Deshpande 2/53).
Rajasthan Royals: 159 all out in 19.2 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 52, Sanju Samson 41; Prasidh Krishna 3/24, Rashid Khan 2/37, Sai Kishore 2/20).
