A fierce battle is expected in Karnataka in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, which will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) have formed an alliance to defeat the Congress, which emerged victorious in the 2023 Assembly elections. While a pre-poll survey predicts that the Congress may win 17 of the total 28 seats, the BJP-JD(S) alliance is expected to get 42.35 % vote share, making it a close contest. Only two women feature in the candidate list of the BJP-JD(S) alliance while six have been included in the Congress list. However, most of the six women candidates are close relatives of senior party leaders.
Here is the full list of candidates contesting from the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies:
The first phase of the elections will be held on April 26 and the second phase will be held on May 7. On April 26, 14 Lok Sabha constituencies: Udupi Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkballapur and Kolar, will go for polling. The remaining Lok Sabha constituencies: Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere, Shimoga will vote on May 7.