Rahul wraps up Bengaluru canvassing on a high note

Prayers at temples and dargahs, public meetings and tribute to Kannada film idol Dr Rajkumar were part of Rahul Gandhi’s last leg of campaigning in the city on Wednesday.

The Congress president began the day by offering prayers at Dodda Ganapathi temple. On seeing a large number of Congress supporters gathering in the streets, he began an unscheduled roadshow in Basavanagudi.

On his way to BTM Layout, he stopped at Hosur Road to greet and seek the blessings of party supporters. After a brief interaction with garment factory workers in BTM Layout, he proceeded to Chickpet and Gandhinagar constituencies where a large crowd welcomed him showering flowers and draping shawls.

Gandhi cheered back by flinging shawls at them. He stopped over at the Dargah Hazrath Tawakkal Mastan at Majestic accompanied by sitting MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao.

Gandhi’s campaigning was tailored around constituencies where the Congress has a bright chance of winning such as BTM Layout where Ramalinga Reddy is in the fray; Gandhinagar where Dinesh is contesting and Shivajinagar where Roshan Baig is the Congress candidate.

As he prepared to make a speech at Shivajinagar, people chanted Gandhi’s name. Many climbed on to trees and rooftops to listen to him. After the meeting, he skipped his itinerary and made an unscheduled stop at Mavalli Tiffin Room (MTR) in Lalbagh Road for lunch.

The hotel manager said Gandhi had regular meals and police informed him of Gandhi’s visit just half an hour before his arrival.

Skips Indiranagar

Later, Gandhi went to Thippasandra to campaign for CV Raman Nagar Congress candidate R Sampath Raj. Residents of Indiranagar, who were eager to meet Gandhi, were left disappointed as the Congress leader skipped the area.

Continuing his temple hopping, Gandhi went to the Anjaneya temple in CV Raman Nagar.

After his final speech at Hebbal, Gandhi stopped at the Kanteerava Studio where he paid tributes to Dr Rajkumar. Throughout the day’s campaigning, he was accompanied by Karnataka AICC in-charge K C Venugopal, Chickpet Congress candidate R V Devaraj and Energy Minister D K Shivakumar. Gandhi will end his campaign in Hubballi on Thursday.

On Hosur Road, garment workers asked him what the government has done to protect their jobs in the wake of several factories shutting shop. “The Modi government is focusing on just 10-15% of the country’s rich people to grow and has ignored everyone else,” Gandhi told them.

Gandhi also assured the workers the Congress government will provide free bus passes for their children within the 60 km of commuting distance if voted back to power.