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
BABA's everywhere ,
better call kamesh baba...
waiting for kamdev baba.....
LOL he must be a stud, this kind of libodo at this age.haha.
power of ayurvedic medicines
NITHYANANDA
SARAWATI
ASARAM BAPU
NARAYAN SAI
SAI BABA
kRIPALU MAHARAJ
iCHADARI BABA
PREMANANDA
its like every month ONE SWAMI is caught for sexual activities..
ALL above big Swamis caught in this act... When will U guys WAKE up... Hindus need to understand and not fall trap to anybody...
JUst depend on GOD. To depend on GOD only, U need to learn WHO is GOD... IF U are HONEST, the GOD who created U & ME & all that EXISTS will GUIDE YOU...
STOP worry about your life with all the RAHU KALAAS and other KALASS its a game played with the one who is far from the TRUE CREATOR... When U recognize the TRUE CREATOR ... U will understand this JOYTHIS Deception like \this day is not good or that\"
STOP fearing... and LEARN who is TRUE GOD."
Idol worship is wrong and the people who run it will never say to YOU guys cos its a money making tool to fool those who doesnt look \WHO is their CREATOR\"
Unless U search for YOUR CREATOR of YOU and all that Exists... We all fall to such a way of deception in worship which make the creation like STONES as YOUR GOD or REACHING GOD (which seems that we are not using our god given intellect.)
The CREATOR says PONDER on ME ... He will Guide us ..But If we rely on IDOLs and other created objects as Gods then our Intellect is ZERO. NOTHING
God says HUMANs are Intellect than any of his CREATION, if we USE our Intellect... to HONESTLY look for HIM. He will Guide us. even if you are in deep jungle looking for HIM.
But people believe what is said and they doesnt use their intellect. which is pushing them FAR from the TRUE CREATOR.
Recognize YOUR lord and WORSHIP the CREATOR and not his CREATION... U will not fall to such pornist as your SWAMI. its not first ... U check your self... (NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI) There is no image of God ... PONDER Y are U asking with the ImAGE which is LIFELESS>>> not even move hands and heads like us."
Dear Brothers,
Please learn from these endless incidents.
Hindu community is responsible for these incidences not only the Babas.
This is the consequences of Not allowing the priests to get marry.
the same thing happens with Christian churches.
Allow the priests to get married. As they would have families, they can understand the problem of worshippers, public
Otherwise you have to face the unfortunate consequences with our own sisters.
May God Guide
BOLO BABA PARAMANAND KI...
Now many might be dreaming to became SWAMI at-least once in life time to have free fun and enjoyment with support and protection of RSS/BJP goondas and politicians
LOL..!! The continuous news of HindusSanghis involved in rapes, molestation etc. and in return the reward to set them free, one can simply say- Bharat Mata ki Jai!
LOL>>>We are not saying ALL HINDUS ARE RAPISTS. BUT ALL RAPISITS ARE HINUDS.
Doesn't it sound similar to Terrorist/Muslim etc.
Parmanand ji Maharaj: We are all fortunate to have Narendra Modi and Baba Ramdev with us.
Baba Ramdev is out of depth now. My sincere advice with Swami Parmanand jee is do Dhyan for sometime to regain balance.
Baba Hari Das gave me the name \Parmanand\". I think it was a great joke because everyone started calling me \"Parmasean\"."
Seriously i dont know, who make them famous, why people go there..
Baba Parmanand is a \stud\". Literally Was sexually exploiting infertile women to.. A feat at his age."
Just look at sanskaari, oops I mean, tharki Baba Parmanand's age. But then I am probably being ageist!
There goes another Fake Godman.
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