High-voltage campaigning in Karnataka ends; how political bigwigs put all their might to woo voters

The high-voltage campaign for Karnataka’s May 10 assembly elections concluded on Monday, with key politicians like Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing 19 public meetings and six roadshows, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi camped in the state for 12 days.

The state’s three major political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, and the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), have made every effort to win voters, making promises and levelling charges at each other in order to achieve a majority in the state’s 224-seat Assembly. The Karnataka legislature will vote on May 10, and the ballots will be counted on May 13. The majority threshold for forming a government is 113 seats.

The BJP, despite the anti-incumbency factor, is eyeing a second term in the state and has expressed confidence in retaining power with a full majority. The Lingayat and Vokkaliga voters will be crucial in the elections. Lingayats make up 17% of the population, while Vokkaligas make up 11%.

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.

Karnataka is the only state in the South where the BJP is in power.
With top leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah campaigning for the party, the BJP used all of its resources to increase its support base.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at 19 public gatherings and six roadshows. Amit Shah participated in 16 public rallies and 14 roadshows. JP Nadda, the BJP’s leader, held 10 public meetings and 16 roadshows.

During a flurry of electioneering by leaders of various political parties, the BJP allowed Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to campaign fully, while the Congress used its chief ministers, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as star campaigners.

During a flurry of electioneering by leaders of various political parties, the BJP allowed Union Ministers and Chief Ministers to campaign fully, while the Congress used its chief ministers, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as star campaigners.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh participated in four election rallies and a roadshow. Several union ministers, including Nirmala Sithraman, Nitin Gadkari, S Jaishankar, Ashwini Vaishnav, Smriti Irani, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, have also spoken out.

The BJP has also included several chief ministers in the Karnataka campaign, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and his Maharashtra counterpart Eknath Shinde.