JD(S) set to be first off block to announce candidates for Karnataka elections

Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular) is all set to be the first off the block to announce its candidates for the Assembly elections in Karnataka, some six months away.

The former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will also kickstart 'Pancharatna Ratha Yatre' on Tuesday, virtually sounding the JD(S) poll bugle.

"Kumaraswamy will announce a list 90 to 100 candidates from across the State at Mulbagal town in Kolar district tomorrow," a senior party leader told PTI on Monday. "These candidates will win for sure and we have lot of confidence in them".

The elections to the 224-member Assembly is due by May next year.

Kumaraswamy, son of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, will perform puja at a temple at Kurudumale in Kolar district, start the 'Yatre' and head to Mulbagal, where he will address a public meeting in the afternoon.

The first phase of the Yatre will cover some 35 to 36 Assembly segments and culminate with a public meeting at Anekal (in the suburbs of Bengaluru city) on December 6.

The second phase covering a similar number of constituencies is proposed to be organised around the middle of December, party sources said.

With five tableaux, the 'Pancharatna Ratha Yatre' will project what the party will do if it comes to power -- in areas of education, health, agriculture/ irrigation, housing and employment (youth and women empowerment), a JD(S) office-bearer said.

A 'feedback' vehicle ('Janata Mitra') will also form part of the Yatre; here, people can share their thoughts on their expectations from the government, in a form that would be displayed on their phones once they scan the QR code.

For those who are not so tech-savvy, hardcopies of the form will be made available and they can drop in a box after filling them.

There will also be a podium with a tablet PC where they can write their views on what kind of government they desire and their expectations from the party leadership.

Another vehicle with 'vintage design' will carry a huge LED screen where videos and audios on the achievements of the past JD(S) governments, and contribution of party leaders will be played, along with short and documentary films.