Karnataka state has a tough contest amid major parties, viz., BJP-JD(S) alliance and Congress for the forthcoming LS polls. Among 28 constituencies the key constituencies are: Gulbarga- The Congress has fielded Kharge's son-in-law Radhakrishna Doddamani from the Gulbarga constituency while the BJP has retained sitting MP Umesh G Jadhav for the LS polls.
Hassan, the home turf of H D Deve Gowda, here Prajwal Revanna, who is also a sitting MP, running as the joint candidate of the BJP-JD(S) coalition whereas, Congress has nominated Shreyas M Patel, the grandson of former Minister G Puttaswamy Gowda, from the seat.
A Vokkaliga-dominated Mandya seat is noted for the competition between Congress and JD(S). Sumalatha Ambareesh, an actress-turned-politician is seeking re-election on the BJP ticket from this seat. However, the BJP might let JD(S) contest the seat as part of the seat-sharing formula. Former MP C S Puttaraju is vying for the ticket. Son of former PM HD Deve Gowda and former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has finally decided to contest the Lok Sabha election from the Mandya constituency as BJP-JD(S) candidate. The BJP high-command has indicated to its Mandya leaders, that Kumaraswamy would be suitable for Mandya candidature, over a couple of months ago itself. Venkataramane Gowda (Star Chandru) of the Congress is expected to give him a tough fight here.
In Bangalore South, Tejasvi Surya, the president of the BJP Youth Wing, will contest from this urban seat. BJP has a stronghold on this seat for the last 30 years. Congress has fielded Sowmya Reddy, a former MLA and the daughter of Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, from this constituency.
Pralhad Joshi, the four-time MP and current member of the Lok Sabha representing Dharwad and Congress still hasn't decided on a nominee for this seat.
Brother of state Congress president and Deputy president Minister D K Shivakumar, current MP, D K Suresh will contest from Bangalore Rural LS Constituency seat. Whereas, the BJP-JD(S) alliance has fielded renowned heart surgeon C N Manjunath, the son-in-law of the late Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, for this Vokkaliga-dominated constituency. Manjunath, who is running on the BJP banner, led the government-run Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research for 17 years until resigning in January of this year.
The BJP refused a ticket to incumbent MP Pratap Simha from Mysore and instead selected Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, a scion of the former Mysore royal family who is contesting the election for the first time from Mysore-Kodugu Lok Sabha constituency. The Congress has yet to declare a candidate.
K S Eshwarappa, a prominent member of the BJP, and a former deputy chief minister announced that he would contest as an independent rebel candidate from Shimoga. He has publicly accused former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and BJP Parliamentary Board members of being the reason his son, K E Kantesh, was denied a ticket to fight for the Haveri seat. B Y Raghavendra, the current MP and Yediyurappa's son will contest from the saffron party on this seat. Here, prominent Kannada actor Shivarajkumar's wife Geetha has been fielded by the Congress. Geetha is the daughter-in-law of the late Dr. Rajkumar, a Kannada actor, and the daughter of former chief minister S Bangarappa.
In Koppal, BJP MP Sanganna Karadi will contest as a rebel independent candidate against the saffron party’s decision not to field him this time. From Koppal Lok Sabha Constituency, Dr. Basavaraj Kyavator from Bharatiya Janata Party and K. Rajashekar Basavaraj Hitnal from the Indian National Congress are the prominent candidates.
It is to be noted that the BJP has given tickets to two women in Karnataka for the first time in this election. From Bangalore North Shobha Karandlaje, and Davangere Gayatri Siddeshwar are in the fray. Congress has to decide the candidate for Bangalore North but the Davanagere ticket has been allotted to Prabha Mallikarjun, who is Cabinet Minister SS Mallikarjun's wife and daughter-in-law of senior Lingayat leader and MLA Shamanur Shivshankarappa. Political powerhouse Belgaum (Belagavi) where BJP has announced former CM Jagdish Shettar to contest while from Congress Mrunal Ravindra Hebbalkar will contest from the seat.
Congress and BJP both the parties want to win more seats from Karnataka. This time, JD(S) has also announced their support to the saffron party in 25 Lok Sabha seats except Kolar, Hassan, and Mandya, which JD(S) is demanding. The recent bomb blast at Rameshwaram cafe here and the raising of "pro-Pakistan" slogans in the corridors of 'Vidhana Soudha' have given fresh ammunition to the BJP to attack the Congress government. Here, Congress through its "guarantee schemes" will try to lure more votes. Water scarcity in many parts of the State is also likely to emerge as a key point to discuss. It is to be noted that the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka are scheduled to take place in two phases. The first phase, involving 14 constituencies, will be held on April 26. The second phase, also involving 14 constituencies, will take place on May 7.