Yogi Adityanath set to visit poll-bound Karnataka again

LUCKNOW: After cutting short his campaign in poll-bound Karnataka and return to UP earlier this month following massive death and destruction due to dust storm in his home state, chief minister Yogi Adityanath will resume the final leg of his campaign in the Congress-ruled southern state from Monday.

Karanataka goes to polls on May 12 and Adityanath has back to back public meetings lined up till Tuesday. Party strategists say Adityanath’s campaign could well be extended till Thursday.

If that happens, Yogi will be campaigning in Karnataka till May 10, the last day of the campaign.

“There are many young people in Karnataka who are hooked on to nationalism and take great pride in Hindutva. That’s why they are coming to Yogiji’s public meetings in large number,” Yarrappa Karrari, coordinator of Adityanath’s four public meetings in Belgaum rural region, told HT on phone.

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There are many young people in Karnataka who are hooked on to nationalism and take great pride in Hindutva. That’s why they are coming to Yogiji’s public meetings in large number

YARRAPPA KARRARI, coordinator of Adityanath’s four public meetings in Belgaum rural region

Adityanath will this time start his poll campaign with a Mutt visit and meeting with saints in Bhalki soon after landing there in a special plane on Monday. After attending his first public meeting in Bidar district, Adityanath is scheduled to visit the famous Veerabhadrahwara temple in Humanabad, a popular pilgrimage center.

Veerbhadra, who as per a Hindu belief was created by an angry Shiva to destroy the yagna of King Daksha after his wife ‘Sati’, upset over Shiva’s humiliation by her father Daksha, had immolated self. Veerbhadra has great following in South and Yogi’s temple visit has been scheduled to play up the Hindutva appeal, party leaders suggest. RP Singh, co-incharge of national programmes and meetings said that on an average Yogi would have about 5 public meetings lined up for the next few days.

He also has several public meetings lined up in Dakshin Kannada and Uttara Kannada that have several spiritual and pilgrimage centers. The areas, along the Arabian Sea coastline, where Yogi’s public meetings have been planned have strong presence of RSS and other right wing groups as the BJP plans to use the appeal of a monk to connect with those religiously inclined, a BJP leader said. The party has already decided to increase the number of Modi rallies in Karnataka, party leaders said.

“When he was here campaigning a few days back, he had described the Congress as a party with ‘jihadi’ mindset. The narrative would grow further,” a BJP leader said underlining Yogi’s importance in BJP’s scheme of things in Karanataka.