JDS to launch poll campaign from Jan 18

Janata Dal (S) Chief H D Deve Gowda says his party will launch its poll campaign for the Assembly election in Karnataka from January 18.

Janata Dal (S) Chief H D Deve Gowda on Saturday said his party will launch its poll campaign for the Assembly election in Karnataka from January 18.

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Talking to reporters in Bangalore, Gowda said he would tour Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Koppal, Bellary, Davanagere and Chitradurga till January 25.

In the second phase, he will visit Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Mangalore, Kodagu, Chikmagalur and Shimoga and complete the tour of the state by February 15.

The party's National Executive will be held on February 10 in the city, he said.

Gowda's son and former Chief Minister, H D Kumaraswamy, who will be the chief campaigner for JDS, is recuperating from an open-heart surgery and expected to join the campaign by February.

BJP and Congress are already on the campaign trail.

Upset over the shifting loyalties of his partymen, the former prime minister vowed to strengthen the party with the support of those who remain in it.

His comments came in the wake of rebel JDS leader M P Prakash, who has quit the party, considering the possibilities of joining BJP or Congress.