Bengaluru: The Congress and BJP will lock horns on the electoral battleground again in less than a fortnight in Karnataka, as the stage is set for the second phase of elections in the 14 remaining Lok Sabha seats on Tuesday.
It is going to be a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Parliamentary segments in the northern districts. The JD(S) is not contesting in these seats and is supporting its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner -- the BJP.
The state has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The first phase of polling in 14 seats in most of the southern and coastal districts was held on April 26.
A total of 227 candidates -- 206 men and 21 women -- are in the fray for the second phase.
More than 2.59 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 28,269 polling stations where voting will take place between 7 am to 6 pm.
The segments where elections will be held on Tuesday are: Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere and Shimoga.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, BJP had swept all these 14 seats, defeating Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and ruling the state then.
Having scored a thumping victory in the Assembly elections last year, the Congress now appears determined to put up a strong show.
Karnataka is the most important state for the BJP in south India as it's only here that it has held power in the past.
Speaking to PTI, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena said adequate security arrangements have been made for Tuesday's polling.
"Around 1.45 lakh polling officials have been deployed across the 14 constituencies. In addition, 35,000 civil police personnel, 65 companies of Central Paramilitary forces and armed police of other states will be deployed for the polling day," he said.
Besides this, 4,000 micro-observers will also be on duty and 17,000 polling stations will be covered by webcasting, he added.
Davangere has the maximum number of 30 candidates, followed by 23 in Shimoga and Raichur has the least number - eight.
Former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai (Haveri) and Jagadish Shettar (Balgaum), Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi (Dharwad) and Bhagwanth Khuba (Bidar) -- all from BJP; Congress' Geetha Shivrajkumar (Shimoga) -- wife of actor Shivrajkumar and daughter of former CM S Bangarappa and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani (Gulbarga), are among the prominent names in the fray.
Also in the contest are MP and veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra, suspended party leader and former Deputy CM K S Eshwarappa -- both from Shimoga, former Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri and ex-Minister B Sreeramulu of BJP from Uttara Kannada and Bellary respectively and retired IAS officer G Kumar Naik of Congress from Raichur.
Stakes are high for several Ministers in this phase with their children in fray.
Sons of Ministers Laxmi Hebbalkar and Eshwar Khandre - Mrinal Ravindra Hebbalkar and Sagar Khandre - are contesting from Belgaum and Bidar respectively, while daughters of Ministers Satish Jarkiholi and Shivanand Patil -Priyanka Jarkiholi and Samyukta Patil- are in contention in Chikkodi and Bagalkot respectively.
Prabha Mallikarjun, wife of Minister S S Mallikarjun and daughter-in-law of veteran Congress leader Shamanur Shivashankarappa, is in the fray from Davangere.
The Congress' performance in the elections, especially in the second phase which covers almost all Lingayat-dominated districts, is crucial, as the party did not win one of them in 2019, and to also check whether the grand old party has managed to retain the support of a section of Lingayats -- considered as the BJP's core vote-base -- which seemed to have somewhat shifted towards it in the 2023 Assembly polls.
The Lok Sabha election is being seen as a big test of sorts for Congress state unit chief D K Shivakumar, who has made no secret of his ambition to become chief minister, amid speculations of change in guard mid-way of the Assembly term. The stakes are also high for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as victory in this election is seen as key to strengthening his hands, analysts say.
It is also seen as a kind of a "litmus test" for state BJP president B Y Vijayendra, who has the onerous task of helping the party retain its supremacy in the Lok Sabha polls, by regaining its traditional Lingayat vote-base.
Ensuring a BJP sweep is paramount for the son of veteran leader B S Yediyurappa, to consolidate his position and silence critics who have questioned his selection to the post, overlooking seniors and seasoned hands.
The ruling Congress is mostly banking on the implementation of its populist five guarantee schemes while the BJP seems to be leveraging the "Modi factor" to the hilt.
Comments
400 chaddis are for sale .............................................
Naren grab the chance....Heavy discount...
Hope these 400 RSS Goons will Join ISIS, it is their mybaap
Jack & Jill (Comment #8)
if YOu are interested in Cheddi jobs then YOU have TO be
BACHELOR
U have to be an Top Cow (only on top job) (Not all Top Cow are bad but only few)
U can be a low Cow but only in the Streets .
U have to follow what the top Cow dictates.
U have to follow them Blindly without questioning.
U will be deceived by religious mantras only to fool U.
U Need to hate other religions
Latest edition in regulation
U can eat beef which is stolen aggressively or U can live the beef to die & rotten without food and water for many days.
U can kill those who carry beef legally
U can Beat them up
U can create whatever Evil u think of, against other religious people.
U can rape girls, if it is exposed then U will not be associated with our Cheddi group.
U can kill, but if it is exposed then U will not be our member.
U can marry but take oath of making 10 children.
In the end...
God has a rule & Cheddi has a rule
But cheddis whisper only the evil way
God invites you to Good
if We really look into what God says in scriptures is to love each other and never harm a human life.
U can take God's word & live peacefully.
U can take Cheddi's word and live with tension, depression, hate, jealousy, evil and the opposite way which God wants.
Choice is yours ...
Those who join cheddis are ignorant in God's knowledge & his attribution & his message to humanity. but every-time God's plan will be successful & YOU will humiliate yourself when U go opposite of What God says...
Think B4 U join our Group.
They did not like pant.....
Good News. 400 terrorists surrendered. Peace will prevail in Goa
THEIR CHADDI IN TO PANT..
HAA HAA HAAA
I didn't know that joining RSS is like a job where you have to resign! Do they pay? Do they have part time job? If yes let me know the scope...:)
Just a drama to be in limelight.. chaddi will be turned into pant soon.
Truth is bitter, sacking people won't help Modi... BJP will surely lose in Goa....
lack of unity is seen in RSS. bad luck for RSS
Good news for the nation, all RSS should be dismantle and India will become safe place for muslims.
This is the beginning..O Chaddis you may change the dress code but not Ideology and failure
You followed HITLER's Thinking and in Shaa Allah will also follow his ending ...but thousands will be killed by you and at the end people will also start the same
This is just a beginning of the End. Still more on Row.
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