JD(S) yatra postponed due to rain

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The JD(S) has announced that its ‘Pancharatna rath yatra’ is postponed by four days due to rains. The programme will resume in Ramanagara next Thursday. Party bigwigs including former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy are slated to undertake a roadshow in Tumakuru district on December 27 and in Mandya the next day.

The ‘Rath yatra’ was supposed to resume from Chikkanayanahalli in Tumakuru district on Sunday, but inclement weather forced the party’s hand. It has been rai ni ng heavily in parts of the state due to cyclone Mandous, which lies about 70 km off the Mahabalipuram coast in Tamil Nadu.

The weather alert has since been downgraded to a depression. Notably, the ‘yatra’ was postponed by a week at the start of November as well. The programme began in Kolar district. ‘ Pancharatnarath yatra’ refers to the programme that the party is undertaking in order to create awareness about its promise to implement comprehensive plans on free education, free healthcare, addressing of farmers issues, guaranteed employment for each family in the state and free housing.

The party plans on covering around 120 Assembly constituencies under the programme by March.  State elections are due in May.