Bangalore: Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna will be setting out on a four-day visit on his "Janaspandana", a novel programme for a dialogue with people directly to improve governance, from October 8.

Krishna, who will be undertaking the 700 km long journey by road in the company of senior ministers, would be traversing through nine districts of Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Tumkur, Chitradurga, parts of Davanagere, Bellary, Koppal, Bagalkot and Bijapur.

Krishna will take a day's break on October 10, when he would visit Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu to attend a function and resume the programme the next day, Karnataka Minister for Information Allum Veerabhadrappa told reporters in Bangalore.

Krishna will be interacting with people to know their response to the developmental programmes initiated by his government in the last four years and seek their guidance.

The Chief Minister will also receive petitions from public and government would respond to them in 30 days, he said.

Krishna who steered the Congress to a convincing victory through his "Panchajanya yatra" in 1999, when he headed the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) as president, is virtually launching the Congress campaign for the Assembly elections in 2004.

The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) have also announced plans to launch campaigns to counter Krishna's Janaspandana, which they have termed as an "election gimmick".

Krishna will wind up the tour with a public meeting in Bijapur on October 12.

PTI