Bengaluru: To mark the 50th anniversary of renaming Mysuru state as Karnataka, a year-long celebration called ‘Karnataka Sambhrama-50’ has been organized by the government. As part of this, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to inaugurate the ‘Karunadu Jyothi Rathyatra’ in the historic Hampi at 5 pm on Thursday. Siddaramaiah will be travelling to the Ginigera airstrip in Koppal via a special flight at 10.50 am.

There is speculation regarding whether the Chief Minister will seek blessings from Hampi Virupaksha, as there is a belief that it could affect his political power. Responding to this, Minister B Nagendra asserted that the Chief Minister does not adhere to superstitions and will indeed seek the blessings of Virupaksha.

In preparation for the Chief Minister’s visit to Hospet and Hampi today, stringent security measures have been implemented. A substantial security team, led by Vijayanagar SP Srihari Babu and comprising two SPs, two ASPs, 10 DySPs, CPIs, PSIs, Home Guard personnel, and KSRP and DAR platoons, has been deployed.