As Karnataka gears up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, scheduled in two phases on April 26 and May 7, a fierce battle looms on the political horizon. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) have forged an alliance in a bid to unseat the Congress, which secured victory in the 2023 Assembly elections.
According to a pre-poll survey, the Congress is anticipated to clinch victory in 17 out of the total 28 seats. However, the BJP-JD(S) alliance is poised to pose a formidable challenge with an expected vote share of 42.35%.
Interestingly, the candidate list reflects a gender disparity, with only two women featuring in the BJP-JD(S) alliance compared to six in the Congress lineup. Notably, several of the female candidates on the Congress roster are closely related to senior party leaders.
The first phase of elections, scheduled for April 26, will witness polling across 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, including Udupi Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkballapur, and Kolar.
The remaining constituencies, comprising Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere, and Shimoga, will cast their votes on May 7.
With the stage set for an intense electoral showdown, Karnataka braces itself for a significant political upheaval in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
