Bangalore: The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), in view of the Lok Sabha elections, has decided to provide vehicles to all the 35 District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents.

In the first phase, KPCC president G. Parameshwara handed over to 12 DCC presidents the keys to their vehicles here on Wednesday.

All DCC chiefs would be given a sports utility vehicle each to intensify the poll campaigning during the run-up to the general elections likely to be held in April-May, KPCC sources told The Hindu.

Dr. Parameshwara has decided to give the vehicles to the DCC presidents not only to be used for party work but also to boost the morale of the leaders during the poll campaigning.

The KPCC has spent Rs. 2.64 crore on these vehicles. DCC presidents of Bagalkot, Koppal, Kolar, Ramanagaram, Gulbarga, Chikmagalur, Davangere, and Uttara Kannada received the keys to their vehicles from Dr. Parameshwara.

The vehicles would be delivered to DCC chiefs who were unable to come to Bangalore in their districts, the sources said.The KPCC president is expected to hand over vehicles to other DCC presidents in a day or two.

During the previous elections, the KPCC hired large number of cars and other vehicles to mobilise party leaders/workers to rallies and other party work. For the first time, the KPCC has purchased new vehicles to be used by DCC chiefs, the sources said.

Bangalore Urban DCC president and MLA S.T. Somashekar said that “several DCC chiefs refused to use their own vehicles for party work. Now, they can extensively use these vehicles for campaigning.”

The former legislator and Koppal DCC president K. Basavaraj expressed happiness and thanked the KPCC chief for offering him the vehicle.

The State Congress is in election mode.

The party leaders have drawn up several plans to win the maximum number of seats in the State.

“One way of motivating the leaders is giving vehicles to help them go around the districts and monitor party activities,” the sources said.