Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah plans state tour to refocus on governance amid political headwinds

Bengaluru: Embattled Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is planning a statewide tour after Dasara to bring back the focus on governance, sources said.

The exercise is also aimed to help Siddaramaiah bolster his image, which has taken a beating following a court-ordered investigation against him in connection with the site allotment scam at the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA).

Siddaramaiah may start his tour from Ballari and Raichur, which could serve as an outreach to the ST population there in the backdrop of embezzlement at the Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation.

The CM's itinerary is yet to be finalised, sources said.

Siddaramiah's planned state tour comes at a time when concerns are being expressed over governance taking a backseat as much of the ruling Congress' attention is diverted toward firefighting scam allegations.

With the opposition BJP and JD(S) hammering the Congress, there are also concerns that the flagship 'guarantee' schemes have seen their currency depreciate. Hence, the government is said to be running a door-to-door outreach with beneficiaries to restore the popularity of the Siddaramaiah administration, which is spending over Rs 52,000 crore this fiscal on the five 'guarantee' schemes.

Such a door-to-door survey was last done before the Lok Sabha polls in which the Congress won nine out of 28 seats, increasing its tally from just one constituency it had in 2019.