New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah flagged off the party's 79-day 'Karnataka Parivartan Yatra' in Bengaluru on Thursday, with the aim of returning to power in the southern state.
The rally, in which Yeddyurappa and other senior state and central leaders will participate, will start its journey from Bengaluru and cover almost 200 places across the entire state and return to the city on 28 January.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally on January 28 on the conclusion of the yatra to be led by the party's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa.
The rally, among other issues, will highlight the shortcomings of the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government that routed BJP's first stint in the state from 2008-2013, reducing it to just 40 seats in the 2013 elections from 110 in the previous polls.
The Karnataka assembly elections are crucial for the BJP which is looking to expand its presence in the southern states, including Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
With Karnataka polls, Yeddyurappa is seeking his reelection as he is named to lead the party in the state.
Party workers from the state's 28,000 polling booths are expected to take part in Shah's rally.
Top party leaders, including Union ministers and Chief Ministers, will attend the yatra, which will pass through the state's 224 Assembly seats, the statement said.
The Congress is in power in the state and the BJP is making all-out efforts to oust it in the Assembly polls scheduled to be held early next year.
