Bengaluru: Inspired by its successful experiment of organising Kamal Melas in Uttar Pradesh to attract voters ahead of the Assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has planned to hold “Kamala Jaatre” in nine districts of the State including Mysuru. It is an outreach programme to engage the electorate ahead of the Assembly polls in small towns and villages.

The Jaatre will be held across nine locations in the State — Mysuru (Nanjangud taluk), Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari, Tumakuru and Bengaluru Rural districts — from Mar.2 to 4. It will later be moved to Central Karnataka and Mumbai Karnataka regions.

The Jaatre is to serve as a platform to spread Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka BJP’s ‘developmental track’ record by involving in political engagement with rural, local community, spread over three days.

Modelled on the strategy that was put in place by the party for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, the Jaatre will showcase the achievements of the NDA Government and the BJP regime (2008-13) in the State through exhibition centres, makeshift cinema halls, ‘Chai pe charcha’ with leaders among others.

“Kamala Jaatre” is part of a larger voters’ outreach programme of the BJP and will be held alongside its “Mushti Akki Abhiyana” of visiting every household of farmers to collect a fistful of rice/grain and Bengaluru Rakshisi (Save Bengaluru) padayatra from Mar.2, protesting against “goondagiri by the Congress leaders and misrule of the State Government”.

There is a fun element too. Food stalls serving local delicacies, game stalls with themes, kids zone with joyrides, selfie booths, recreational on-stage activities like musical chair, pop quiz, impromptu singing competition, laser shows will also be part of the Jaatre. As a pilot, a ‘Kamala Jaatre’ was held in Jewargi in Kalaburagi district recently. In all, 30 Jaatres have been planned across districts. The party aims to reach over 15 lakh voters directly and over one crore indirectly through this campaign.