Aimed at a highly improbable solo victory, the JDS manifesto promises several candies such as free cooking gas and stoves for the poor, Government guarantees for loans obtained by educated but unemployed youth and new housing and insurance schemes. Gowda also intends to take away the reservations currently enjoyed by some of the major backward castes and divide it among other castes. He said the party would fill up all government vacancies.

In a surprise move, he also announced a JDS vision to model the development of Bangalore on that of Chinese cities, Beijing and Shanghai. JDS, BJP and Congress legislators were sent on a sightseeing tour of China during the previous JDS-BJP regime. “To meet the challenge of a growing Bangalore, our party has decided to adopt a vertical model of growth for buildings in the city, on the lines of what is seen in the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Beijing,” he said.

The manifesto said the JDS would launch “Soubhagya” housing scheme to provide houses for all homeless within five years and introduce “Suraksha”, a new insurance policy for owners of rickshaws, taxis, private lorries and buses, to pay compensation to the families of deceased drivers.

Loans taken by unorganised labourers from various corporations would be written off and a new mining policy would be introduced to curb illegal mining, manifesto drafting committee chairman Abdul Azeem said.

To help rural students, the existing CET examination would be scrapped. To help age-barred candidates, the age limit to SC/ST candidates would be increased by five years and that of others by three years, the manifesto said.

The JDS would introduce a health scheme for BPL cardholders to help them receive free treatment for all kinds of diseases, the expenses for which would be paid by the government. To meet the medical expenses of poor people other than BPL cardholders, 10 per cent of the Legislators Area Development fund would be reserved, the manifesto said. It said the government would pay the fees of children of BPL cardholders for admission in private educational institutions. Peshimams and Mouzans of mosques would get a monthly pension of Rs 500 from the WAKF board after retirement.