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HYDERABAD: Union tourism minister for state Chranjivi is all set to spearhead the Congress campaign in AP border area and Bangalore for Karnataka assembly polls even as AP leaders including Raghuvira Reddy, Panabaka Lakshmi, Purandareswari, and Mohammed Azaruddin would lead separate campaigns across Karnataka.
As the election scene is hotting up for the May 5 polls, Andhra Pradesh leaders are in the fore front of the Congress campaign management. Rajyasabaha MP V Hanumantha Rao is camping in Bangalore as he is the AICC secretary in-charge of Karnataka affairs. He is over viewing the poll strategy to mobiles Telugu speaking voters in Karnataka who are dominant in several assembly segments particularly in north, south, and central parts of the state.
"Apart from Hydrerabad-Karnataka which was a part of Nizam province, the border districts in Telangana and Rayalaseema have substantial Telugu votes. While Language is the hook, community factor would play a key role. Keeping all this in mind, we are organizing campaign rallies led by Andhra Pradesh leaders, and Chiranjivi is going to spearhead," said Hanumantha Rao.
Apart from his fan clubs spread across the border areas and Bangalore coming handy for him, Chiranjivi is hoped to strike a chord with his Kapu community voters who are quite sizeable in the districts of Kolar, Chikkabalalpur, Doddabalalpur, Raichur, and Bellary which are closer to Ananathpur and Kurnool.
He is expected to tour across these districts, while his mega star appeal is hoped to work in the Telangana border districts of Gulbarga, Bidar, and parts of Raichur. Even his popularity as a film star is quite significant in the cities of Bangalore and Mysore where he is expected to campaign.
The Congress campaign managers are planning to rope in the party leaders with Hindi film background along with Chiranjivi as the Bollywood enjoys a significant market share in Bangalore, coastal Karnataka and North Karnataka.
They have enlisted Raj Babbar for campaigning in Bangalore. Similarly, Riteish Deshmukh will woo voters in districts bordering Karnataka and Maharashtra and in Bangalore as well. Riteish is a popular star in Karnataka not only because of his films, but also in view of the Celebrity Cricket League, which has dominated the south film industry.
This region-specific campaigning by film stars and cricketers is the brainchild of Congress Campaign Committee Chairperson Veeranna Mattikatti. "Our campaigning will be audience specific. We will talk to the voters through their favourite personalities," he pointed out.
Revenue minister Raghuvira Reddy is expected to mobilise Yadav votes in the districts of Tumkur, Chitradurga, and Kolar. As he is fluent in Kannada, Raghuvira Reddy easily connects with the Karnataka voters as his earlier constituency Madakashira is closer to Tumkur, and he runs chain of hotels in Bangalore and Mysore.
"It is nothing new that I take part in Karnataka election campaign for the Congress. I have been doing this from 1989. This time around we have started the ground works already and the real campaign starts once the nomination filing process ends on April 17," said Raghuvira Reddy.
As he said the campaign schedule is yet to be charted out, he and Chiranjivi are expected to embark on the poll tour after April 20. Panabaka Lakshmi and Purandareswari would join them in Rayalaseem border areas and would campaign between April and May 1 before the public canvas ends on May 3.
The Congress has another strong campaigner in cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin. This time, the Congress will be using him to woo Minority votes in Hyderabad-Karnataka region and Bangalore.
