Campaign peaks in Karnataka for third-phase polls

Campaign has peaked across the remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka's western and northern regions where polling is on April 23 in the third phase of 2019 general elections across the country.

"As electioneering for the third phase of polling ends on Sunday for polling on Tuesday, hectic campaign was conducted by national and state leaders in both regions of the southern state," a poll official told IANS here on Saturday.

The 14 parliamentary constituencies are Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur (SC), Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga.

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi held two massive rallies at Bagalkot and Chikkodi on Thursday for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in the fray, Congress president Rahul Gandhi addressed public meetings at Raichur and Chikkodi on Friday, along with Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), in support of their joint candidates.

"Our national President Amit Shah held a massive road show at Bhadravati, while state unit President B.S. Yeddyurappa and senior state leader S.M. Krishna campaigned at Theerthahalli in Shimoga district," BJP spokesman G. Madhusudhan said.

In the May 2018 Assembly polls, the BJP won in 7 of the 8 Assembly segments in Shimoga parliamentary constituency, except in Bhadravati.

BJP's general secretary and its state unit in-charge Muralidhar Rao campaigned in Bidar.

For the ruling Congress, its former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah campaigned at Belgaum and Dharwad and its Water Resources Minister D.K. Shivakumar at Shimoga.

For the JD-S, its state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy campaigned in Uttara Kannada where party candidate Anand Asnotikar is taking on BJP nominee and Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde.

The BJP is contesting in all the 14 seats, while the Congress in 11 and JD-S in 3.

In the 2014 general elections, the BJP had won 11 seats and the Congress the remaining 3, with none going to the JD-S.

The Congress is contesting in Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Gulbarga (SC), Raichur (ST), Bidar, Koppal, Bellary (ST), Haveri, Dharwad and Davanagere.

The JD-S from Bijapur (SC), Shimoga and Uttara Kannada.

The key constituencies are Gulbarga, Shimoga, Ballary, Dharwad, Bidar and Uttar Kannada.

Congress leader in the outgoing Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge is contesting from Gulbarga for a hat-trick and party's state unit working President Eshwar Khandre from Bidar.

In the high-profile Shimoga, sons of two former Chief Ministers are locked in straight contest.

The Congress has fielded woman candidate Veena Kasappanavar in Bagalkot and JD-S Sunita Devanand in Bijapur (SC), while BJP has none.

In the second phase of polling on April 18 in the central and southern regions of the state, the BJP contested in 13, Congress in 10 and JD-S in 4.

Vote count for all 28 seats will take place on May 23.

--IANS

fb/nir