The NDA alliance in Karnataka, comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular), is leading in several constituencies. This comes despite an aggressive campaign by the ruling Congress party, which promised five “guarantee” schemes to voters.
The BJP is contesting 25 seats, while the Janata Dal (Secular) has fieled candidates from three constituencies.
According to the Election Commission of India, the BJP is leading in 16 seats, while the Janata Dal (Secular) is ahead in two.
The Congress, contesting alone under the INDIA alliance, is leading in 10 seats.
Prajwal Revanna, the JD(S) MP from Hassan who is facing charges of rape and sexual abuse, is trailing, while Congress candidate Shreyas M. Patel is leading with a margin of 43,719 votes.
Revanna is accused in a high-profile rape case and is facing a probe by the SIT over allegations of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation following a complaint by a woman who worked as a domestic help at his house.
The Hassan Lok Sabha constituency was represented by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda from 1991 to 1994, 1998 to 1999, and again from 2004 to 2014.
With 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, Karnataka is one of the major South Indian states and holds a pivotal position in Indian politics. The Lok Sabha polls are a prestige battle for the Congress, which won the state assembly polls with a landslide victory last year.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP won 25 seats, while the Congress and its alliance partner Janata Dal (Secular) won one seat each. The remaining seat was won by an independent candidate backed by the BJP.