It’s yatra time for political parties in the State. With no equation emerging for the Government formation, all the three major parties -- the BJP, the Congress and the JD(S) -- have decided to go on yatras, aimed mainly to wash their hands of the political turmoil that the State is facing.

While the BJP, which has already hit the streets, will commence the third phase of Dharma yatra on October 26, its estranged partner the JD(S) on Thursday announced to launch Vishala yatra from November 1. The Congress, on its part, has chalked out a Bus yatra, though it has not yet finalised the date.

Dharma yatra

The BJP has planned to cover six districts -- Kogadu, Hassan, Chamarajnagar, Mysore, Kolar and Mandya -- and its fire-brand leader Sushma Swaraj will participate in Kolar district yatra. State BJP leaders B S Yediyurappa, Ananth Kumar and D V Sadananda Gowda will also take part, the party sources said.

The party has already concluded the first phase of its yatra that it called the “Punish the promise-breakers and save Karnataka campaign.” The second phase is now underway and will conclude on October 19. According to a BJP functionary, the party plans to hold more campaigns in the month of November depending on the developments in the State political scene.

Vishala yatra

The JD(S), during its vishala yatra, is planning to cover 1,000 km touching almost all districts of the State. Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy will lead the yatra that will commence from Basavakalyana in Bidar district.

However, the party supremo H D Deve Gowda will not participate. “We will highlight the good work done in the last 20 months by Mr Kumaraswamy, besides apprising people of the misdeeds of the BJP that resulted in political uncertainty in the State, during the yatra,” the State party President Mirajuddin Patel told reporters in Bangalore.

Bus yatra

As if to vie with the JD(S) and the BJP, the Congress too has its own yatra plans. KPCC President Mallikarjun Kharge announced that the party leaders will take out a bus yatra soon. “We want to expose to the people the real culprits behind the dissolution of the Assembly and the political uncertainty that’s prevailing in the State,” he stated.

He also slammed the former coalition partners — the JD(S) and the BJP — for eyeing public “sympathy” by making allegations of betrayal against each other.