Karnataka is set to go to the polls on Wednesday with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hoping to retain power in the only southern state in the face of a stiff challenge from Congress. Over 52 million voters are eligible to vote for 2,613 candidates across 224 seats. Here is a look at 10 keenly-watched constituencies:
Shiggaon: Located in the Haveri district, Shiggaon is a BJP stronghold. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai is seeking re-election from Shiggaon for the fourth consecutive time. The Congress has fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan against Bommai. Pathan replaced Mohammad Yusuf Savanurat at the last minute. The Congress has been unable to win the seat, once considered its stronghold, since 1999. The Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) and independent candidates won the seat in 1999 and 2004.
Hubballi-Dharward Central: Former chief minister and Lingayat leader Jagadish Shettar, who quit the BJP after being denied a ticket, is contesting as a Congress candidate from this seat. Mahesh Tengingayi hopes to retain the seat for the BJP for the six successively time since 1994.
Varuna: The seat in the Chamarajnagar district has been Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s bastion. He won the seat in 2008 and 2013 before his son, Yathindra, retained it for the Congress in 2018. The margin of Congress’s victory in the constituency has been increasing since 2008. In 2018, Yathindra won the seat defeating T Basavaraju of the BJP by a margin of 58,620 votes.
{{/usCountry}}Varuna: The seat in the Chamarajnagar district has been Congress leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah’s bastion. He won the seat in 2008 and 2013 before his son, Yathindra, retained it for the Congress in 2018. The margin of Congress’s victory in the constituency has been increasing since 2008. In 2018, Yathindra won the seat defeating T Basavaraju of the BJP by a margin of 58,620 votes.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP has fielded V Somanna, an influential Lingayat leader, against Yathindra. The constituency with over 230000 voters, has a mixed population. Lingayats are the largest community with around 60,000 voters, followed by the scheduled castes and tribes (51,000) and Kurubas (20,000).
Kanakapura: On the outskirts of Bengaluru, Kanakapura has been a fortress of the Congress. State Congress chief DK Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, has won the seat thrice in a row. In 2018, he defeated Narayana Gowda of JD(S) by a margin of 79,908 votes.
The BJP has fielded revenue minister R Ashoka, a six-time and also Vokkaliga, against Shivakumar. The constituency is a Vokkaliga stronghold (over 80,000 voters).
Shikaripur: Located in the Shivamogga district, the constituency has been a stronghold of the BJP. Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa has held the seat eight times since 1983. His son, BY Vijayendra, is this time contesting from Shikaripur in place of his father. The Congress has fielded Goni Malatesh.In 2008, Yediyurappa won the seat by defeating S Bangarappa of the Samajwadi Party by a margin of 45,927 votes.
Lingayats account for 57,000 of the voters in the constituency, Lambanis 26,000, Muslims 21,000, Kurubas 19,000, Valmikis 15,000, and Edigas 12,000.
Channapatna: One of the Vokkaliga dominant constituencies in the Ramanagara district, Channapatna is a JD(S) bastion in the Old Mysuru region. Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy seeks to retain the seat. CP Yogeshwara is contesting as a BJP candidate for the second consecutive time.
In 2013, Yogeshwara defeated Kumaraswamy’s wife, Anitha, by a margin of over 7,000 votes. In the 2018 assembly polls, Kumaraswamy defeated Yogeshwara by a margin of 21,530 votes. Congress has fielded Gangadhar S as its candidate. Yogeshwara is also a Vokkaliga like Kumaraswamy.
Ramanagara: Part of Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, it is considered to be the Gowda family bastion. Former Prime Miniter HD Deve Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy, and Anitha have held the seat. This time, Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil, is contesting from Ramanagara. Anita left the seat for her son. Nikhil lost the Mandya Lok Sabha seat to Independent candidate Sumalatha in 2019. BJP has fielded Goutham Gowda against Nikhil and Congress Iqbal Hussain.
Hassan: It is also considered a stronghold of the JD(S) even as BJP’s Preetham J Gowda is seeking a second term. Preetham’s victory marked the BJP’s first from the seat since 1999. He defeated HS Prakash of the JD(S) by a margin of 13,000 votes. JD(S) has fielded Swaroop and Congress Banavasi Rangaswamy.
Chittapur. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s son, Priyank, is seeking a third consecutive term from Chittapur in the Kalaburagi district. A Congress stronghold, the constituent is reserved for the scheduled castes. Priyank won the seat by a margin of 4,393 votes in 2018. BJP has filed Manikanta Rathod, a businessman who has 41 criminal cases against him, against Priyank.
Gokak: Ramesh Jarkiholi is seeking his seventh term from the constituency in the Belagavi district of the Mumbai Karnataka region. He was among the 17 lawmakers whose defection from the Congress paved the way for the BJP’s return to power in 2019. In the 2019 by-poll, he won the seat by a margin of 29,006 votes. Congress candidate has fielded Mahantesh Kadadi against Jarkiholi.