The Lingayat and Vokkaliga voters will play a major factor in the elections. Lingayats comprise 17 per cent of the population and Vokkaligas 11 per cent…reports Asian Lite News
The high-voltage campaign for the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka ended on Monday with top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding 19 public meetings and six roadshows while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days.
All three major political parties in the state – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) have put all their efforts to woo the voters, making promises and launching accusations at each other to secure a majority in the state’s 224-seat Assembly. The Karnataka assembly will go to polls on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13. The majority mark to form the government is 113 seats.
The BJP which is facing an air of anti-incumbency factor, is eyeing a second term in the state and has exuded confidence in retaining power with a full majority.
The Lingayat and Vokkaliga voters will play a major factor in the elections. Lingayats comprise 17 per cent of the population and Vokkaligas 11 per cent.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the party will return to power with a full majority.
Shah held a mega roadshow in Doddaballapura on Sunday. “We will win the elections by full majority or at least half a mark plus 15 seats. In these four years, Yediyurappa and Bommai government has done a lot of work,” the Union Home Minister told ANI.
Significantly, Karnataka is the only state in the South where BJP is in power.
With top leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah campaigning for the party, BJP put all its might to strengthen its support base.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed 19 public meetings and held six roadshows. Amit Shah held 16 public rallies and 14 roadshows. BJP chief JP Nadda held 10 public meetings and 16 roadshows.
Hectic electioneering by leaders of various political parties saw BJP allowing Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to campaign with their full force while Congress putting its chief ministers including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as star campaigners.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held four election rallies and held a roadshow. Further, several union ministers including Nirmala Sithraman, Nitin Gadkari, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnav, Smriti Irani and Jyotiraditya Scindia.
BJP also pitted several chief ministers including UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde in the campaign fray of Karnataka.
The Congress on the other hand worked hard to wrest power from the BJP that is striving to break the 38-year-old pattern of alternating governments and retain its power in the state.
Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, held various roadshows, rallies and elections campaigns.
With the war of words between top guns of all the major political parties, the campaigns of the election of the southern citadel saw allegations and accusations flying thick and fast. (ANI)
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