Lok Sabha Polls: Know Key Contenders Shaping High-Stakes Karnataka Battle
Lok Sabha Poll Results: The second phase of voting took place in Karnataka amid Prajwal Revanna, JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate from Hassan, was embroiled in controversy due to sexual abuse allegations.
Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: As exit polls project a positive outcome for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in India, the spotlight is firmly on Karnataka, a key battleground in the South with 28 seats. Currently, the BJP is the opposition party in the state but has a strong political presence. This election season also sees the BJP allying with the JD(S), while the Congress has chosen to contest the Lok Sabha elections solo.
The stakes are high, especially given the BJP's performance in 2019 when it won 27 out of 28 seats. The recent significant victory of Congress in the state Assembly elections adds another layer of intrigue to the electoral contest. So, this also brings to focus the key contestants from Karnataka in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Basavaraj Bommai (Haveri)
Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is contesting from the Haveri seat. A seasoned politician, Bommai is a two-time MLC and four-time MLA, and the son of former Karnataka Chief Minister SR Bommai. A close aide of BJP's Karnataka strongman BS Yediyurappa, Bommai hails from the influential Lingayat community.
Although the BJP has held the Haveri seat for the last four elections, the Congress is striving to reclaim this constituency, once its stronghold. The Congress has fielded Anandayya Gaddadevarmath, son of former MLA GS Gaddadevarmath, to challenge Bommai.
Prajwal Revanna (Hassan)
Prajwal Revanna, India’s third-youngest MP and the JD(S)-BJP alliance candidate from Hassan, is embroiled in controversy due to sexual abuse allegations. After fleeing the country post the first phase of polls in Karnataka, Prajwal who is the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda returned to the state last week and was arrested by the Special Investigation Team.
He is also the son of former minister and Holenarasipura MLA HD Revanna. This election is important not just for Prajwal but his family since he faces Shreyas M Patel, grandson of late G Puttaswamy Gowda, a fierce opponent of Deve Gowda.
HD Kumaraswamy (Mandya)
Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is contesting from Mandya seat which is viewed crucial for the survival of JD(S). Kumaraswamy also aims to avenge his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy's defeat in the previous election. Nikhil lost against BJP-backed Independent Sumalatha Ambareesh in the 2019 Mandya Lok Sabha polls.
Currently, Kumaraswamy is up against Congress' Venkataramane Gowda (Star Chandru). This seat is also significant for Congress state president DK Shivakumar, belonging to the Vokkaliga community, as Mandya is viewed as the heartland of Vokkaliga politics.
KS Eshwarappa (Shivamogga)
Expelled BJP leader KS Eshwarappa is running as an Independent candidate in Shivamogga after his son Kanthesh was denied a BJP ticket. He contests against BJP's sitting MP and former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa's elder son BY Raghavendra and Congress candidate Geetha Shivarajkumar.
Following his decision to run independently, the BJP expelled Eshwarappa from the party for six years.
Tejasvi Surya (Bengaluru South)
Tejasvi Surya, the BJP candidate from Bengaluru South, is contesting for a second term. He faces Congress' Soumya Reddy, daughter of Karnataka Muzrai and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy. Since 1991, Bengaluru South has been a bastion of the saffron-party.
However, Surya's campaign has been marred by controversy, as he was booked for seeking votes through social media based on religion following a complaint from a poll officer.
Manjunath (Bangalore Rural)
A renowned cardiologist and son-in-law of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, CN Manjunath is making his political debut by running for Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency on a BJP ticket. He will be competing against Congress heavyweight and three-time MP DK Suresh. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, DK Suresh, who is the brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, was the sole Congress candidate to emerge victorious in Karnataka.
This time, the contest is neck and neck, with Suresh's victory being crucial for Shivakumar, who harbors ambitions for the Chief Minister's post.
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