Sonia Gandhi arrives in Karnataka amid hopes of Cong revival

Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi arrived in Bangalore on Friday night amid hopes of a rejuvenation in Congress in the state. She is scheduled to visit drought-affected areas in Nagasamudra village in Chitradurga district on Saturday morning.

Sonia will later head to participate in the Guruvandana programme of Siddaganga mutt seer Shivakumaraswamiji in Tumkur at 11am.

It is for the first time in the last six years that a Congress leader would be hogging the limelight at a function organised by Siddaganga mutt. BJP leaders, including former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, will not attend the programme.

She is scheduled to address state Congress leaders at a meeting to be held at the auditorium of Siddaganga Engineering College in Tumkur.

Though the visit has been projected as being non-political, state Congress leaders are expecting a big push for their efforts to rejuvenate the party in the state.

Congress is pinning hopes of regaining political space among the dominant Veerashaiva community which has been turned into a pocket borough of BJP. The visit is also expected to force the UPA government at the centre to announce a liberal grant for the state to take up drought relief work.