Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address an election rally in Karnataka's Shivamogga on Monday, marking his first appearance in the southern state since the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the schedule for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls on Saturday. According to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, they anticipate an audience of approximately 2,50,000 people to attend the event. The rally is set to commence at 2 pm at the Allama Prabhu ground in Shivamogga, the hometown of former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa, who is the BJP's key figure in the state.
Earlier, BJP state chief B Y Vijayendra, the second son of former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, visited the Allama Prabhu ground accompanied by senior party functionaries. He supervised the preparations and provided necessary instructions to ensure the smooth conduct of the meeting.
However, a significant challenge for the BJP arises as senior leader and former Karnataka deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa has opted not to attend the public gathering, maintaining his stance, despite efforts by the saffron party to persuade him otherwise. Eshwarappa's decision stems from his discontent with the BJP for not giving the ticket to his son KE Kantesh, prompting him to contest the Lok Sabha elections independently from the Shivamogga constituency, from where the party has fielded BY Raghavendra, the elder son of Yediyurappa.
Karnataka holds 28 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, along with an independent candidate, secured victory in 26 constituencies, while the Congress-JD(S) coalition claimed the remaining two seats.
The 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases, commencing on April 19 and concluding on June 1. Vote counting for all 543 seats is scheduled for June 4.