Rahul Gandhi to seek votes in Karnataka visiting temple, dargah

Rahul Gandhi's religious tourism is expected to continue when he visits Karnataka. He would be on a campaign trail in the state between February 10 and 13 and would focus on northernmost parts of the state. On the anvil is a visit to a temple, two Lingayat mutts and a dargah. This was indicated in his itinerary. This indicates that Rahul Gandhi would do a Gujarat in Karnataka as well.

Congress sources say that there would be a focus on the Lingayat centres. The party realises the importance of bagging these votes as it could be a game changer. This is also one of the primary reasons for starting the tour at north Karnataka where the Lingayat population is higher when compared to the other parts of the state. During his visit, the first stop would be at the Huligamma temple in Koppal district. This would followed by a visit to the Gavisiddappa Mutt in the same district. He would then visit Khwaja Bande Nawaz dargah in Gulbarga distict before winding up his visit at the Anubhava mantapa in Bidar district. While many have said that Rahul Gandhi is practising soft Hindutva, the Congress has denied the same. It is not soft Hindutva, it is inclusive Hindutva, the Congress had said.