Mysore/Mysuru: Congress candidate for Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha Constituency M. Lakshmana, who filed his nomination papers at the Office of the Returning Officer in the new Deputy Commissioner’s Office on Bannur Road in Siddarthanagar here yesterday, stepped up his election campaign today by visiting the Mysore Bar Association in the premises of Law Courts Complex on K.R. Boulevard here.

While filing papers yesterday, Lakshmana was accompanied by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Dy.CM D.K. Shivakumar, who is also the KPCC President, Animal Husbandry Minister K. Venkatesh and MLA Tanveer Sait.

Later addressing a public rally by standing atop an open vehicle near Teresian College Circle, CM Siddaramaiah appealed the people to elect Congress candidate Lakshmana as he will be available to the public all the time.

Pointing out that Lakshmana, who is a Vokkaliga, has been treading the path of Kuvempu’s Vishwamanava message, the CM asked the people to teach a lesson to the BJP, which has been lying on release of drought relief funds.

Stating that people should vote for Lakshmana thinking that he (Siddu) himself is the candidate, Siddaramaiah said the Assembly segments of Madikeri and Virajpet in Kodagu districts and N.R., Chamaraja and Periyapatna in Mysuru districts are represented by the Congress Legislators.

Asserting that it would not be difficult for the Congress to romp home if all party workers work unitedly with a perfect co-ordination, the CM said that the party workers should save his honour by ensuring the victory of Lakshmana.

Responding to doubts about Lakshmana’s Vokkaliga identity, Siddaramaiah emphasised that there is no greater falsehood than the baseless propaganda questioning Lakshmana’s Vokkaliga lineage.

Charging the Centre of not releasing drought relief funds even if numerous representations were made in the past 6 months, the CM said the Centre was only engaged in false propaganda targeting the State  Congress Government.

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also addressed the gathering, called Congress candidate Lakshmana as ‘Lakshmana Gowda.’

 Pointing out that the Congress has given the party ticket from Mysuru LS seat to a Vokkaliga after a gap of 47 years, Shivakumar said that the Congress gave the ticket to Lakshmana considering the concerns that he has for the common man.

Maintaining that there is no Modi wave in Karnataka, he said that the only wave seen here is the Congress’ and guarantees’ wave. However, the Dy.CM refrained from making any comments on BJP candidate Yaduveer and targeted only the BJP party, Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

District In-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, KPCC Working President Tanveer Sait, former MLA Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, MLAs K. Harishgowda, A.S. Ponnanna and Dr. Manthar Gowda, MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah, former MLAs M.K. Somashekar and H.P. Manjunath, former MLC Marithibbegowda, City Congress President R. Murthy, District President Dr. B.J. Vijaykumar, KPCC Women’s Wing President Dr. Pushpa Amarnath, Kodagu DCC President Dharmaja  Uthappa, leaders B.R. Chandramouli, B.M. Ramu, H.V. Rajeev, B.K. Prakash, Narayana, Modamani, Ananthu, Pushpalatha, T.B. Chikkanna, M. Pradeep Kumar and others were present.

CM returns to Bengaluru

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who arrived in the city on Apr.1 and camped in Mysuru for three days for canvassing, returned to Bengaluru late last evening after a hectic poll campaign in his home district.

During his 3-day stay, the CM is also said to have discussed and chalked out strategies to ensure the victory of Congress candidates in Mysuru-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar LS seats.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that CM Siddaramaiah and Dy.CM Shivakumar will be again camping in city on Apr.13 and 14 for another round of campaigning in Mysuru-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar Constituencies.