Karnataka is in the thick of electoral action. The State will go to polls in the second and third phases of the Lok Sabha elections - on April 26 and May 7. With both the Congress and the BJP-JD(S) combine finalising their list of candidates for 28 constituencies, the State is expected to witness intense campaigning and hard-fought battles over the weeks to come.
Having voted a new State government to power in 2023, how crucial is the upcoming parliamentary election for Karnataka?
As a flurry of political activity takes over Karnataka, the State is gearing up for a high-stakes, bipolar contest this election, thanks to the alliance between the BJP and JD(S).
In the 2019 election, riding on the Modi wave, the BJP swept Karnataka, winning 25 of its 28 parliamentary seats, while the Congress and the JDS won one each, with the final seat going to an independent. While the BJP hopes to recreate this magic yet again, the Congress is banking on the apparent success of its guarantee schemes to grab more seats this time around.
To give us more insights into what will most certainly be high-pitched clashes, we have The Hindu Karnataka’s bureau chief, S. Bageshree.
Script and presentation: Nalme Nachiyar
Video and production: Ravichandran N.
