Rahul Gandhi to meet Karnataka Congress leaders in Delhi today

Bengaluru: All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi has convened a meeting of Karnataka Congress leaders in Delhi on Saturday to discuss the Karnataka assembly elections. 

Sources in the party said that the meeting will discuss how to structure the tour programme of Mr Gandhi. 

“We will discuss which are the areas Mr Gandhi should visit to campaign for the party. We have to structure Mr Gandhi’s tour programme in such a way that his visit should boost the party’s image.” a senior leader said.

Comparing the Karnataka campaign strategy with that of Gujarat, the leader said Mr Gandhi single-handedly pushed the party campaign in Gujarat in the absence of credible faces in that state. However, the state Congress unit has many popular faces. “We feel Mr Gandhi need not campaign as intensively as he did in Gujarat. We will suggest a tour itinerary with places which requires the attention of Mr Gandhi,” the leader said.

The meeting is likely to discuss  the extent to which that party should adopt a soft-Hindutva strategy to counter the BJP. “The leaders including Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah have been visiting temples and darghas. In Karnataka, we may not make these visits so obvious. The visits to temples and darghas would be made very casual. Except coastal Karnataka and parts of Malenadu, this may not become a poll issue,” sources said.