With hectic Lok Sabha election campaign just around the corner, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has chosen to take a break from the routine by camping at a resort on the banks of river Kapila in H.D. Kote near here for two to three days.
Mr. Siddaramaiah, who left Mysuru after addressing a meeting of party leaders from Mysuru, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar districts at a hotel in the city on Sunday evening, is expected to return only on Wednesday for an event organised in Mysuru to mark the entry of leaders from BJP and JD(S) to the party fold.
Giving company to Mr. Siddaramaiah at the private resort, which is also situated near the Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks, are Ministers in-charge of Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts H.C. Mahadevappa and K. Venkatesh, both considered to be close friends of the Chief Minister for long years, besides former Hunsur MLA H.P. Manjunath.
A source close to Mr. Siddaramaiah said the Chief Minister had a busy travel schedule over the last few days. “With campaigning for Lok Sabha elections scheduled to begin soon, he needed a break to recharge his energies. Even if he stays in Mysuru city, he will not get a chance to rewind. So, he may have preferred to take a break with some of his friends,” the source said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah’s schedule is expected to be packed with election campaign meetings till the first week of May. Polling in Karnataka is scheduled to be held on April 26 and May 7.
Sources did not rule out the possibility of electoral strategies figuring in the talks Mr. Siddaramaiah has with his close friends during his sojourn. Incidentally, H.D. Kote, where the Chief Minister is camping, is part of Chamarajanagar reserved Lok Sabha segment for which Mr. Mahadevappa’s son Sunil Bose is tipped to become the Congress candidate.
Even if Mr. Siddaramaiah says that the Congress will strive equally in all 28 Lok Sabha constituencies of the State, Mysuru-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar will be of special political significance to the Chief Minister because he hails from the region.
