(ET)
Congress’ meticulous planning has helped party president Rahul Gandhi to have a successful four-day campaign in Hyderabad-Karnataka, where the party holds 23 of the 41assembly seats against BJP’s 10. Each place Gandhi visited to drumbeats, dancing on the roads and traditional welcomes,was chosen to maximize the impact.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah proved a far better orator than Gandhi but he was not intimidated by the louder applause the CM received. Lingayats may be still derisive, but Gandhi seemed to have traction among Other Backward Castes, Dalits and minorities and some urban, educated youth, considered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s votebank.
