Lok Sabha elections Phase 2: Key constituencies going to polls in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Home minister Amit Shah with BJP’s Bengaluru South candidate Tejasvi Surya.

The second phase of voting for the 18th Lok Sabha elections will take place on April 26. 89 seats across 13 states will elect their representatives to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the parliament. The states going to polls are — Karnataka (14 seats), Kerala (20), Assam (5), Bihar (5), Chhattisgarh (3), Madhya Pradesh (7), Maharashtra (8), Uttar Pradesh (8), Rajasthan (13), and West Bengal (3). After Friday’s polling, the elections will be over in Kerala and Rajasthan.

In Karnataka, the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections will seal the fate of BJP leader Tejasvi Surya, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy and DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh. DK Suresh is one of the richest politicians in the country.

Key constituencies going to polls in Karnataka are — Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Mandya and Mysore.

Bangalore Rural

Congress leader DK Suresh is the sitting MP from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency. He will take on BJP’s Cholenahalli Nanjappa Manjunath, a renowned cardiologist and the son-in-law of former prime minister H.D.Deve Gowda. DK Suresh is the younger brother of Congress stalwart DK Shivakumar.

Bangalore North

BJP leader Sadananda Gowda had been representing the Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency since 2014. However, this time, the BJP has gone with Shobha Karandlaje, the Minister of State for Food Processing Industries. She will contest against the Congress party’s MV Rajeev Gowda, a noted academician and politician.

Bangalore Central

The Bangalore Central Lok Sabha constituency had been the BJP’s stronghold since its creation in 2008. PC Mohan has won the elections thrice from the seat. The BJP has placed its trust on PC Mohan once again. He will take on the Congress party’s Mansoor Ali Khan.

Bengaluru South

Bengaluru South has been BJP’s fiefdom since 1996. Before his death, Ananth Kumar remained the party’s MP for 28 years. In 2019, young politician Tejasvi Surva became the MP from the constituency. The Congress has fielded Sowmya Reddy against Surya.

Mandya

Mandya is another high-profile constituency going to polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections. JD(S) leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy will contest against Congress’s Star Chandru.

Mysore

BJP’s Pratap Simha represented Mysore from 2014 to 2024. However, this time, the party has fielded Yaduveer Wadiyar against Congress’s M Lakshman. Wadiyar is a member of the erstwhile royal family of Mysore. He is the titular Maharaja of Mysore.

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