Bengaluru: The Congress and BJP will lock horns on the electoral battleground again, in less than a year, in Karnataka as the stage is set for voting in the first phase in 14 Lok Sabha seats on Friday.
It's going to be a straight fight between the ruling Congress and the BJP-JD(S) combine unlike the Assembly elections in May last year which witnessed a triangular contest among the three parties.
The state has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The second phase of polling in the remaining 14 seats is on May seven.
A total of 247 candidates -- 226 men and 21 women -- are in the fray for the first phase in most of the southern and coastal districts.
More than 2.88 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in 30,602 polling stations where polling will take place between 7 am to 6 pm.
While the Congress is contesting in all 14 seats, BJP has fielded nominees in 11 and its alliance partner JD(S), which joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in three -- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar.
Besides the three, the segments where elections will be held on Friday are: Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South and Chikkballapur.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress and JD(S), which were in alliance and ruling the state then, had secured just one seat each in these 14 segments. The BJP had won in 11 and ensured the victory of a party supported independent candidate in Mandya.
Having scored a thumping victory in the Assembly elections, 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 had held power in the past. 'Its alliance partner JD(S) is fighting to remain politically relevant, after the Assembly poll drubbing,' a political analyst said.
The Old Mysore region is the Vokkaliga heartland and parts of it have been the traditional bastion of the JDS. However, the current elections are a battle for survival for JDS.
According to Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena, 1.4 lakh polling officials will be on duty for the first phase.
Besides them, 5,000 micro-observers, 50,000 civil police personnel, 65 companies of Central Parliamentary Force and State Armed Police force of other States will also be deployed for security.
All the 2,829 polling stations of Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency will be webcast, Meena said.
'This is as per the request of our returning officers and observers; so we have given more than double the Central parliamentary force for Bangalore Rural constituency. Seven companies of Central paramilitary forces have been inducted at the constituency since April 22,' he told reporters on Wednesday.
In fact, out of the total 30,602 polling stations in the first phase, 19,701 will be webcast, and 1,370 covered via CCTVs, he said.
Chikkaballapur has a maximum number of 29 candidates, followed by 24 in Bangalore Central, and Dakshina Kannada has the least number - nine.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy from Mandya, his brother-in-law and noted cardiologist C N Manjunath from Bangalore Rural on a BJP ticket, erstwhile Mysuru royal family scion Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysore, also from the BJP, and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar's brother and MP D K Suresh of Congress from Bangalore Rural, are among the prominent candidates in the fray in the first phase.
Also in the fray are BJP MP Tejasvi Surya from Bangalore South against Minister Ramalinga Reddy's daughter Sowmya Reddy of Congress, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje on BJP ticket from Bangalore North against former IIM Bangalore professor M V Rajeev Gowda of Congress.
The Congress' performance in the elections, especially in the first phase which covers almost all Vokkaliga-dominated districts, is being seen as a big test of sorts for its state unit chief 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.
Stakes are also high for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as victory in particular in his home turf—Mysore and Chamarajanagar—is seen as key for strengthening hands, analysts say.
For the JD(S) and its state chief Kumaraswamy, the task is cut out -- to prove that the regional party is still a force to reckon with, particularly in the Vokkaliga dominated Old Mysuru or South Karnataka region.
Both Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy are Vokkaligas, and are engaged in a fierce turf war to consolidate their clout over the dominant community.
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 elections.
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 for the post, overlooking seniors and seasoned hands.
The ruling Congress is mostly banking on the implementation of its populist five guarantee schemes. The BJP and JD(S) seem to be leveraging the 'Modi factor' to the hilt.
Comments
RESPECT the REAL MAATHA who want her daughter to be happy.
We have seen bandh for price hike,murder etc...
No imposing bandh for somebody getting married ...
Modi's intolerant group sending wrong message to the world
If Muslim girl go with Hindu boy then there is no problem for RSS or Sangaparivar What a mindset is their ? here government should do their duty (keep the Law & Order) without any partiality then only we can live here peacefully
RSS IS ONLY GOOD FOR THESE TYPE OF WORKS..
BARATH MATHA HOLDING SAFFRON FLAG NOT INDIAN FLAG REAL INDIAN LOVERSSS THESE RSS...
Zameer Mysur.......If the girl is a Muslim, and the boy is Hindu.....then what will be your reaction / comments
Kisiko mirchi laga kya? Burnol moment
Karnataka is still in India right? Are you some kind of a challenged person?
Vote bank politics of BJP will not work here....I am sorry...
best thing for them to do is let those sweet hearts get marry...wish them a good conjugal life....best part of it is these sweet hearts did not run away from their parents....
It is not function of RSS to provide protection to those people, its for the state to do so, in which it has utterly failed. Your argument is like, yeah he might be thief but rather than arresting him why dont you beef up security of your home, that's just absurd. Rather than calling upon reforms in islamic faith you are saying-\fine to a certain extent is true\" this meek response is just like justifying this as a natural state of affairs."
lets say if this so called Love Jihad exists, though you must not call every inter-religious marriages as Love Jihad. Second point is, RSS is saying muslims and other religions use marriages as a tool to increase their numbers, fine at certain extent its true, since at some point the couples are forced to convert to other religions to convince their parents and community, the religious community, but mind it, you can't call it Love Jihad, but it is due to the mind set of other religions, its a fact you have to accept it. But, if RSS is soo great and right then what they must do is to protect the people who do inter-religious marriages without conversion. Will they ever do that ?.... I don't think so, what RSS is trying to do is the opposite, they want to use marriages as a tool to increase the Hindu population. As a Hindu I can never support that, there is nothing great about it !!
Soon the sanghis will take back India to stone age!! What are they upto? Marriage is purely a personal affair between two individuals, no matter what religion or caste they belong to. As long as the two individuals have consented others have no business in coming in their way. All Indians should unite and fight against the atrocities of sanghis against the fundamental rights of every citizen. This kind of hooliganism shall not be tolerated any more.
These acts of \intolerance\" are the result of the one-sided tolerance that incessantly takes place in our society, and which imparity is routinely ignored by the secularists. Hindus marrying Christians or Muslims are invariably required to convert, and/or their children brought up in the non-Hindu faith. In the rare case where a Muslim may convert out of his or her own volition, the end is often bloody and tragic as I can personally vouch from observation. It is invariably the Muslim party's own family that slaughters one or both individuals. And these are not country hicks who don't know better... these are well-educated urbane families that are doyens of the society that they dwell in!"
And Salutes to the genius RSS member who invented the term and the great 'Philosophy' behind it!
In a hypocrite country like ours it feels great to see a Hindu band at a Muslim wedding and a Muslim band at Hindu one secular love.
Girl's dad has no issues but for Chaddis it's LJ, put them out of the society.
It is a constitutional right of the Girl & the Boy. Those who oppose this are actually opposing the constitution, and hence are Anti-Nationals. BJP as a political party should be banned for being anti-constitution.
Put them all behind bar for lifetime, then our country will live in peace.
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