The BJP has begun its 10-day ‘Ballari Chalo’ padyatra from Raichur to Ballari, expanding its campaign beyond the alleged Valmiki Corporation scam to issues including SCSP/TSP funds, drought management, recruitment irregularities and infrastructure. With B. Nagendra already having resigned, BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra has signalled that the padyatra is the start of a sustained campaign ahead of the 2028 Assembly polls. Is Karnataka already entering election mode, and can the BJP turn its allegations into a credible anti-incumbency narrative? We debate with Congress’s Dhruv Jatti, BJP’s Anand Gurumurthy and senior journalist Ramakrishna Upadhyay.
