Rahul Gandhi is set to address a rally and attend various programmes in the communally sensitive Udupi and Dakshina Kannada coastal districts of Karnataka on Thursday, 27 April. The Congress is aiming to capture the coastal Karnataka region which is considered a BJP bastion.
The Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts have witnessed brutal revenge killings and a series of incidents of communal violence and tension. According to the party's official statement, Rahul Gandhi will visit Kapu in the Udupi district and participate in an interaction programme with the fisher folks. Later, he will reach Mangaluru in the Dakshina Kannada district and address a public rally. The Dakshina Kannada district has eight Assembly segments and Udupi district has five Assembly constituencies. BJP had won seven among eight seats in Dakshina Kannada in the last elections. All the five seats in Udupi were won by the BJP. Another coastal district, Uttara Kannada, has six Assembly seats and five are held by the BJP. In 19 seats of three districts, the Congress managed to win only two seats.
This time, the Congress aspires to win 10 to 12 seats in the coastal region. Rahul Gandhi has been speaking about the pride of Karnataka, aggressively attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government, both at the Union and state. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too has been campaigning in the state and has launched poignant attacks on the BJP. Mangaluru, where Rahul Gandhi is addressing a public rally today, is considered to be a stronghold of the BJP. The city and the district have witnessed a series of incidents including revenge killings, moral policing, attacks on students, and communal tension.