Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Mar 6: The city has become a battleground of sorts for the BJP and the JD(S), with both parties descending here to do their best to woo voters ahead of the crucial Assembly elections.
Main roads in the city are decked with large hoardings, buntings and flags of both parties welcoming their respective leaders to the city on Tuesday March 6.
Sources said that neither the BJP nor the JD(S) obtained permission from the district authorities to put up the hoardings and buntings. It is learnt that deputy commissioner Sasikanth Senthil sent a notice to Mangaluru City Corporation to take action and get the hoardings removed.
As per the DC's orders, officials of the Mangaluru City Corporation arrived at the spots where the hoardings have been put up, and attempted to remove them. However, workers of both the political parties gathered and arguments ensued.
The leaders and workers of both the parties stopped the officials from removing the hoardings, and eventually, the officials returned without completing their task.
Interestingly, district in-charge minister Ramanath Rai passed by in his car where the BJP workers had gathered. Seeing him, they chanted slogans against both Rai and the Congress, and hailed PM Modi.
The four-day 'Jana Suraksha Yatra' undertaken simultaneously from Ankola in Uttara Kannada district and Kushalnagar in Kodagu district by BJP on March 3 is culminating in the city on Tuesday March 6. BJP has plans to lead a procession from Ambedkar circle to Nehru Maidan, where a mega public meeting will be held. The party has said that it has organized this programme to expose anti Hindu policies of the government, spread awareness about the policies of BJP and to protest against anti-people measures of the government.
Chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, and state BJP president, B S Yeddyurappa, will be the star speakers at the programme.
Former chief minister of Karnataka and JD(S) state president, H D Kumaraswamy, is also in the city to address a convention of the party at Town Hall here.