BANGALORE: With the BJP embroiled in controversies and hit by factionalism, the visit of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi to the state on June 1 is expected to give much fillip to the Congress, which is making all-out efforts to come back to power in the state.Rahul will be visiting Hubli on June 2 to attend the three-day National Youth Congress executive meet organised by the KPYCC, and might start the process of getting back leaders who left the party during ‘Operation Lotus’.The Congress hopes that Rahul’s visit would give the much-needed impetus to strengthen the party organisation.KPYCC president Rizwan Arshad told Express here on Wednesday, “Rahul would participate at the plenary session in Hubli on June 2 and address the delegates.” He said Rahul would also address a gathering of office-bearers of the party’s booth-level committees. Last month, the party supremo Sonia Gandhi had visited Karnataka and met Sri Shivakumara Swamiji of Siddhaganga Mutt, who commands a lot of influence among the Lingayat community.The Congress in Karnataka is out of power since 2004, and has fared vary badly in the 2009 LS elections in which the party won only six of the 28 seats.The Congress benefited largely from the BJP’s infighting between Yeddyurappa and CM Sadananda Gowda in the Chikmagalur-Udupi LS by-poll, where its candidate Jayaprakash Hegde got elected.Hegde’s victory over BJP candidate Sunil Kumar in the constituency vacated by Sadananda Gowda, bolstered Congress’ ambition to get back to power.The party launched a series of programmes last year, and plans to start “Janaandholana”, an agitation programme against the misrule of the BJP government, on Thursday. With the infighting within the ruling BJP in Karnataka intensifying the Congress is making steady efforts to come back to the seat of power. The statement of Sonia after the elections for five state assemblies recently that the party’s next focus would be Karnataka, has given a spurt to the party’s efforts to mobilise workers and the people. “With the ruling BJP in a shambles, it is natural for any political party to make the most of the situation,” former minister and the JD(S) leader S K Kantha said.Now, one has to now wait and see whether the embattled Yeddyurappa will help the Congress in its efforts.
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