Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Andhra today; K'taka Cong all set for Oct 15 show

Bengaluru, Oct 14 : The Karnataka Congress is upbeat on the response from the people for the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi and is hoping to lift its prospectus furthermore in the state with a massive convention at Ballary on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the padayatra will enter Andhra Pradesh on Friday. Rahul Gandhi, who resumed the padayatra from Ramapura in Ballary district, will enter Obalapuram of Ananthapur district in Andhra Pradesh. After the brief stay, padayatra will again enter Karnataka.

Rahul Gandhi will enter Andhra Pradesh through Jajirakallu Toll Plaza. He will halt there till 4.30 p.m. and then resume the yatra.

The Karnataka Congress leaders are leaving no stone unturned with the preparations to make it a big success. The party wants a repeat of the success in the 2013 Assembly election.

Then, Siddaramaiah had led a massive "Ballary Chalo" padayatra challenging the mining mafia and then cabinet minister in the ruling BJP government, mining baron Gali Janardhan Reddy.

The party also has special consideration for the Ballary parliamentary constituency, as in-charge Congress President Sonia Gandhi emerged victorious in parliamentary elections against BJP's candidate Sushma Swaraj, 20 years ago.

The Congress, which has not held any major programmes in the Kalyan Karnataka region, is also aiming at sweeping 40 plus Assembly constituencies in the upcoming Assembly elections.

The leaders have been tasked with gathering four to five lakh people for the mega convention. It is going to be a display of might of the party against the ruling BJP, said sources in the Congress party.

Former minister and opposition leader Siddaramaiah's blue-eyed boy M.B. Patil and senior office-bearer of the party, Eshwar Khandre have been given the responsibility of final preparations for the convention.

The party is expecting Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to participate in the convention to maximise the impact.