Karnataka Assembly Polls: High stakes battle in THESE seats. Check list
- The high voltage campaign for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka will come to an end on Monday as all three major political parties in the state -- BJP, Congress and JD(S) -- are busy making their last pitch to woo the voters.
The Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 are just four days away. Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Indian National Congress, and Janata Dal (Secular) have given it their all to win seats 224 member Legislative Assembly.
The high voltage campaign for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka will come to an end on Monday as all three major political parties in the state -- BJP, Congress and JD(S) -- are busy making their last pitch to woo the voters.
The top guns of all the major political parties were on a campaign blitz across the state in the past few days, even as the ruling BJP has been striving to break the 38-year-old pattern of alternating governments and retain its southern citadel.
The Congress on its part is working hard to wrest power from the BJP to give itself much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The JD(S) led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda was seen putting all its might into campaigning, wanting to emerge as "king" and not "kingmaker", hoping to get the required numbers to form a government on its own.
Karnataka Elections: Crucial constituencies
VARUNA
The Varuna constituency will be one to watch as two rivals with substantial Lingayat support base fight for this seat- Congress's Siddaramaiah and BJP's V Somanna.
While speculations remain strife that Siddaramaiah could be vied for the Chief Minister post of Karnataka, Somanna will also play to his appeal within the Lingayat mutts. In turn Siddaramaiah will try to appease his Lingayat voter base in the Mysuru region.
What could go wrong for Congress? In the Varuna constituency BJP's Somanna is considered to be a bridge between the Vokkaligas and Lingayats. On the other hand Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra is a household name, popularly known as 'the doctor' in Varuna.
KANAKPUR
A high-profile fight between Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar and state Revenue Minister R Ashoka will unleash in Kanakpur.
In the stronghold of Congress' Shivakumar, Ashoka, a prominent Vokkaliga face in the BJP, has been placed by the saffron party to oppose the Congress keader.
Shivakumar, who made a name for himself as an alternative to Deve Gowda, is an extremely active leader who enjoys a mass appeal. He has also been frequenting Vokkaliga and Lingayat events.
R Ashoka, a 65-year-old leader, has carefully crafted his image as the tallest Vokkaliga leader in the party. Ashoka rose to become the deputy CM in the Yediyurappa Cabinet when the BJP formed its first full-majority Karnataka government in 2008. He set the record for the biggest electoral victory from the largest constituency when he won the erstwhile Uttarhali seat in 2004 by over 84,000 votes.
CHANNAPATNA
The Channapattana Assembly seat is currently held by JD(S) chief and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy. While the JD(S) is unlikely to rake in the numbers for a majority government, it can turn out to be the kingmaker. The Channapattana seat will be a prestige battle for Kumaraswamy, who has remained unbeaten since 2004.
SHIGGAON
Shiggaon is Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's seat, something that is required and desired by Congress. However, since after soft-spoken, clear-headed leader Bommai took over as CM, his has been marred with allegations of mismanagement and corruption leading to a sense of incumbency in Karnataka.
SHIKARIPURIA
Former Chief Minister and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa's constituency Shikaripuria will be an interesting watch, considering the former CM announced his retirement from electoral politics this year.
The seat will now be contested by his son BY Vijayendra, the vice president of the Karnataka BJP, while Congress fielded G.B. Malatesh for the Shikaripuria constituency seat.
CHIKMAGALURU
A traditional seat of BJP national general secretary CT Ravi, a winner of this seat since 2004, this time Congress has fielded H D Thammaiah hoping for a win. JD(S) has fielded BM Thimma Shetty, who fought the last election as an independent candidate.
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Business NewsElectionsKarnataka Assembly Polls: High stakes battle in THESE seats. Check list
First Published:7 May 2023, 05:48 PM IST
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