New Delhi:

The Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka is gearing up for a three-way battle with children of former Chief Ministers and a veteran leader in the fray.

BJP has fielded sitting MP BY Raghvendra, son of former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa and brother of party state chief BY Vijayendra. While Congress has fielded Geetha Shivarajkumar in the seat. She is the daughter of former Chief Minister late S Bangarappa, sister of state Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa and wife of Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar.

Setting the stage for a triangular fight, BJP rebel leader KS Eshwarappa is contesting as an independent in the seat. Mr Eshwarappa was expelled from the BJP for six years following his decision to contest as an independent. The veteran leader has represented Shivamogga assembly five times.

The Shimoga has been witnessing the face-off between the two political families of Yediyurappa and Bangarappa since 2009. The constituency has favoured both BJP and Congress multiple times in the past.

In the 2019 general elections, Raghavendra defeated Madhu Bangarappa, who represented JD(S) then, by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. In the 2018 byelection also, Raghavendra and Madhu came face-to-face. In the 2014 general elections, Mr Yediyurappa defeated Geetha Shivarajkumar. Mr Raghavendra became Shimoga MP first time in 2009 defeating Mr Bangarappa. Mr Bangarappa has won the seat four times representing different parties in the past.

When Mr Raghavendra is seeking re-election and a third term banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image, Geetha Shivarjkumar is holding onto the Congress Nyay guarantees and the state government’s popularity.

Both BJP and Congress are keen on establishing dominance in Shimoga with PM Modi himself on the ground campaigning for Raghavendra while actor Shivarajkumar is actively participating in roadshows and rallies campaigning for Geetha.

The key issues debated in the constituency include disturbances between different communities in the region, environmental conservation, need for better educational facilities and job opportunities among others.

The voting in Shimoga will be held on May 7 in the third phase of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections along with 13 other seats in Karnataka. Karnataka sends 28 MPs to the Lower House. Polling in 14 seats was held on April 26 in the second phase. The counting will be held on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Anil Antony, the son of senior Congress leader AK Antony and the BJP’s candidate from Pathanamthitta, insists the election this time in Kerala would be different. The state, which voted for all its 20 seats in the second phase of the general election today, is in financial distress and there is massive anti-incumbency, he claimed in an exclusive interview to NDTV.

Kerala is one of the few states which has never sent a BJP candidate to parliament. This has been the situation even after 2014, despite the state having 55 per cent voters belonging to the majority community.

The politics of the state has been bipolar for decades, swing between a Congress and a Left-led alliance. The state is also one of the few that routinely votes out the incumbent government. But in 2021, in a shocking break with tradition, Kerala gave a second term to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

Now the BJP is trying to create a niche in the state in its quest of 370 seats.

Asked what was different this time, Anil Antony told NDTV there are “multiple factors”.

“In the last election when Rahul Gandhi was standing (from Wayanad) for the first time, a narrative was created that the UPA was winning. The UPA would come back and Rahul Gandhi would be the Prime Minister. There was some mood shift at the end of it. This is why the votes in the assembly election was very different from what happened in the national stage,” he told NDTV.

The state, he added, was in “dire financial distress”, where the government has been unable to pay salaries and pension to its employees. “So from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram, in each of the 20 seats, there is anti-incumbency,” he said.  

“Now you talk to a Congress or a CPM supporter and you will see the NDA-3 is coming back under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,’ he added.

Mr Antony had quit the Congress and switched to the BJP last year. The party expects him to help expand its base in the state, especially among Christians.  

Earlier this month, Antony Senior broke his silence over his son joining the BJP. Anil Antony, he said, should and will lose from Pathanamthitta and that it was wrong for children of Congress leaders to join the BJP.

Union minister Rajnath Singh had immediately joined issue. At an election rally for Anil Antony, he said, ‘”All I have to tell Mr Antony is: even if he might not vote for him, he should bless him as a father. I was surprised by what he said. Maybe he said so because of pressure from the Congress”.

In Pathanamthitta, Mr Antony is up against Congress’s Anto Antony, the three-time sitting MP and the Left’s TM Thomas Issac, a former finance minister of the state.

His candidature has upset senior politician PC George, who said fielding him has scuttled the BJP’s chances in the constituency.  “No one knows him. The BJP will have to go around and introduce him to the people,” said the senior leader, who recently merged his Kerala Janapaksham (Secular) with the BJP.

With Lok Sabha elections just about a month away, we are decoding Karnataka’s political landscape at ‘NDTV Battleground’. We also discuss the challenges faced by the capital city Bengaluru, including water crisis, population explosion and issue of inadequate transportations system.

At ‘NDTV Battleground’, we discuss about state’s politics, growth, seat distribution in upcoming elections, challenges for the current government and the Opposition and much more.

Here are the highlights on ‘Battleground Karnataka’:

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BJP’s South Push
The narrative is that the BJP does not have a presence in south except Karnataka. In Tamil Nadu alone, the PM has made 26 visits between January and now. He has been consistently pursuing the cultural agenda, taken Sengol to new parliament. Rajinikanth is on his side. He took the Chinese president to Tamil Nadu. The kind of emphasis he has laid, says Mr Srinivasaraju.

Centre vs State Narrative
MLAs are unhappy because they are not getting funds. The budgetary allocation has stagnated or come down, says Sugata Srinivasaraju.

“Siddaramaiah’s guarantee is over. MLA are upset too. And people want Modi’s development. Modi has made sure every Indian has bank account, food on the table, health insurance etc. Deprivation is less. It is there on the ground. Jobs are there, but 80% of jobs pay less than Rs 20,000. South is job surplus. Internal migration has shifted,” says TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Arin Capital Partners

“What’s big today is that we are not in apologetic India. The young are looking at next 10 years. This is new India. Women and young India will vote confidently,” says Shraddha Sharma, YourStory founder, CEO.

On The Opposition Narrative

“The narrative that opposition is trying to build is one about lack of jobs,” says Sugata Srinivasaraju.

However, he also added, “The Congress does not have a cultureal narrative or emotional connect. It makes a technocratic point. With BJP, they have Mandir, Modi, etc,” says Mr Srinivasaraju.

Changing Demographics And What It Means?
How young voters vote this time will be the precursor. Now there are more women voters. Now people want Modi ka guarantee, says TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Arin Capital Partners

“We embrace diversity. When I speak to Gen Z everyone is concerned about the future of the country. We need to shed this caste, class thing. They are angry against corruption. I hope ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ happens,” says Nooraine Fazal, founding CEO and managing trustee, inventure academy

The ‘Modi Factor’ In Karnataka
“Modi factor is key to BJP victory. They are bringing caste and class together. If you see their campaign, candidates say that you are voting for the PM not us. Congress is focusing on regional narrative,” says Sandeep Shashtri, Director -Academics, NITTE Education Trust and National Coordinator, Lokniti

Battleground On NDTV: “Politics Of Sub-Caste” In Karnataka
When it comes to Karnataka, there is politics of sub caste. Why BJP lost in 2023 is because Lingayats did not support them. There’s a very good reason why BS Yediyurappa was brought back, says Sugata Srinivasaraju, senior journalist and author.

“When it comes to India, Kannadigas want to see who will take India forward. There is cash politics in Karnataka. When it comes to national politics, Karnataka votes differently,” says TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Arin Capital Partners

Does Caste Factor Matter In Karnataka?
Karnataka is a caste centric state. BJP has now spread almost evenly across the state, says Sugata Srinivasaraju, senior journalist and author.

Decoding How Karnataka Votes
We are not thinking about cash, subsidies. Bengaluru welcomes everybody. Karnataka’s voting is how Indians are looking at the future. It is Richest in per capita terms, says TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Arin Capital Partners.

Karnataka And Its intricacies
That is entirely the wisdom of voters and is not limited to Karnataka. We need to see if it happens this time. This time the congress is in a reasonably better position. Avg victory vote share was 57% in Karnataka, says Sugata Srinivasaraju, senior journalist and author.