Karnataka gears up for poll battle as high octane campaign draws to a close
Stage is set for Karnataka poll battle as campaigning comes to a close
PremiumThe high octane Karnataka Assembly election came to an end on Monday ahead of the mega ballot battle set for May 10. The past few weeks have seen top politicians - including Prime Minister Narendra Modi - reach the southern state to make a strong pitch for their parties.
The ruling BJP is looking to retain its southern citadel (and break a 38-year-old jinx) whule the Congress hopes to wrest power and give the party some much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Meanwhile the the JD(S) led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda is hoping to emerge as ‘king’ rather than ‘kingmaker’ and form a government on its own.
The BJP's campaign had been somewhat ‘centralised’, laying emphasis on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 'double-engine' government, national issues and programmes or achievements of the union government coupled with a few from the state.
The Congress by-and-large focused on local issues and its campaign also was run by its state leaders initially. However, its central leaders such as AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had later join the campaign.
The JD(S) also ran a highly localised campaign, anchored solely by its leader H D Kumaraswamy, with party patriarch Deve Gowda too joining in later despite his advanced age and related ailments.
Meanwhile, the low-key campaigning for bypolls in two Uttar Pradesh assembly constituencies also ended on Monday. Bypolls will be held in Swar and Chhanbey (SC) on Thursday. With the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party sitting out the elections and the Congress fielding a candidate only from Chhanbey, the bypolls are likely to witness another contest between the BJP-led ruling coalition and the Samajwadi Party.
(With inputs from agencies)
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