Raichur:
Congress number 2 Rahul Gandhi is in Karnataka today and has kicked off a high-voltage campaign with three rallies in the northern part of the state.
The Congress fancies its chances in Karnataka, which votes on May 5, and is sending its A-team to help clinch a win. Party president and Rahul's mother Sonia Gandhi will campaign too, as will Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The party did well in urban body elections held recently and sees an opportunity to wrest back the state in the ruling BJP's battle against corruption scandals and dissent among its seniormost leaders.
Mr Gandhi's first rally today is in Raichur district. He will also campaign in Bagalkot and Bijapur.
The BJP too has begun its bid to retain its only southern state, with leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh campaigning, but the party's star campaigner Narendra Modi is yet to hit Karnataka.
He is expected to begin his campaign only on Sunday next and has reportedly asked the party branch in Karnataka to identify districts where the BJP is strong and is likely to perform well.
Mr Modi is treading cautiously, sources close to the Gujarat Chief Minister said, as he is determined not to dent his image as the BJP's most popular leader and resolute vote-getter by campaigning in areas which the party may lose.
Both Mr Gandhi and Mr Modi are seen in their respective parties as frontrunners to be named prime ministerial candidates for next year's general elections. Neither party has, however, named a leader yet and both say the field is still open.
An important ally of the BJP, Nitish Kumar, has said he will end his partnership with the BJP if Mr Modi is named presumptive Prime Minister because he is tainted by the Gujarat communal riots of 2002, which took place during his first term in office.