“Sufficient developments have taken place in Kaup. Congress party will be supported by the people. That support should be converted as votes in favour of Congress party and it is the responsibility of party leaders and activists to make Congress party candidate Vinay Kumar Sorake win. All should join hands in this regard,” said KPCC election campaign committee president D K Shivakumar.

He was speaking in the meeting of party leaders and activists held in Rajiv Bhavan, Kaup on Wednesday, May 2.

“BJP people have the confidence that they will win. However, voters are prepared to make it false. Therefore, each leader from Congress should become an activist and take part in the campaign as if he himself is the candidate,” he added.

“The sacrifice of Sorake is a model for us. Vinay Kumar Sorake has filled the position of veteran leader Janardhan Poojary in Congress. Sorake had sacrificed his position of the minister to give senior political leader Kagodu Thimmappa an opportunity. All should work towards sending him back to Vidhana Soudha once again,” he said.

Congress candidate, MLA Vinay Kumar Sorake said that Congress needed to come back to power to sort out problems faced by people in coastal region because of UPCL. “Though there is a law that electricity should be supplied for 24 hours where there is a thermal power plant, UPCL was not following it. They have bowed now to the orders of D K Shivakumar and are providing electricity in Kaup for 24 hours,” he said.

Film actor Sadhu Kokila said that Congress works relentlessly for the progress of poor. “It is our duty to work for the success of Congress candidate and make Congress come back to power,”

Congress Udupi district president Janardhan Thonse, former MLA U R Sabhapathi, minority development corporation president M A Gafoor, KPCC secretary Rajashekar Kotian, election campaign committee office bearers Faruque, Lavanya, Dinesh Puthran, Dinesh Kotian Palimar, party leaders Ashok Kumar Kodavoor, Kaup Diwaker Shetty, Udaya Shetty Muniyal, Geetha Wagle, M P Moideenabba, Harish Kini, H Abdulla, Vishwas Ameen, Shivaji Suvarna, Manhar Ibrahim, Harish Shetty Pangala and others were present.

Kaup block congress president Navin Chandra Shetty welcomed. Block secretary Vinay Ballal thanked. Youth congress state secretary Abdul Azeez compered.

Electioneering reaches feverish pitch in the poll bound state
Star campaigners have fanned around the state to woo voters
Cong President Rahul Gandhi will begin campaign from Bidar

Witk Karnataka Assembly polls just a few days away, the campaigning has reached feverish pitch in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address public rallies in Kallburgi, Ballari and Bengaluru on Thursday (May 03).
Prime Minister will address Mahila Morcha karyakartas of Karnataka BJP through Narendra Modi app on Friday (May 04) morning.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will begin his whirlwind tour for three days beginning today. He will address public rallies in Sirsi, Sagar, Belur and Honnali today.
On the second day, he will take part in the public meetings in Haliyala, Mudhol and Teradala.

On the last day of his campaign on Saturday, he will be in Sedam and Balki. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will be in KR Pet, Srirangapattana and Nippani today.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani will be addressing public meetings in Dharwad and Gadag districts on Friday (May 04). Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will campaign in Afzalpur, Chitapur and Chincholi in Kalburgi district on Saturday (May 05).

Star campaigners of major political parties – BJP and Congress have fanned around the state to woo the voters.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will begin his two-day campaign from Bidar.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is on a statewide tour to campaign for Congress Candidates. He will take up the campaign in assembly segments coming in Davangere, Chitradurga and Ballari districts.

Former Chief Minister of Kerala Ommen Chandi is also campaigning for Congress candidates on Friday and day after in various places in Bengaluru.

Janata Dal (Secular) Chief Minister candidate H D Kumaraswamy has election meetings lined up today in Vijayapura district. The Hyderabad Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi will address a public rally for JD(S) in Bengaluru on Friday.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

BJP National President Sri Amith Shah said the days of the
Siddaramaiah Government in the state were numbered and Sri B. S. Yeddyurappa led BJP
Government is poised come to power.
This was the gist of Sri Shah’s speeches at different parts of Chikkamagalur district.
The people of Karnataka have showed immense confidence in Prime Minister Sri
Modi’s “Sabka Sath Sabka Vikaas” philosophy. Also, they are sure to endorse the Sri B S
Yeddyurappa’s leadership for Karnataka.
● Ruling out the changes in reservation policy he said the Congress is indulged in false
propaganda that Central Government aims to bring drastic changes in the constitution.
The reservations given by Baba Saheb Ambedkar cannot be wished to take away.
● The Central Government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modiji have take
number of progressive steps for the benefit of the of Coffee and Arecanut farmers.
● The Government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modiji was the first Government
to fix import price for arecanut at Rs. 251/-. It was under this Government that 100%
custom duty was made applicable on arecanut import, thus substantially the negative
impact on our farmers from import from Sri Lanka. In the year 2017 it was for the first time
that a Central Government procured arecanut under MIS. In the BJP Karnataka Manifesto
it has been promised that BJP will build a arecanut research center for Rs. 500 Crore.
● The coffee plantations across the state are withering away but the Siddaramaiah
Government is in slumber. When BJP will form the Government in the state international
coffee trade fair will be organised every year.
● The Siddaramaiah Government has the blood of over 3500 farmers on its hands, who
have committed suicide due to the insensitivity of the Siddaramaiah Government.
● The Modi Government under the 14th finance commission has given the state Rs.
2,19,000 Crore and has given Rs. 80,000 Crore under various other schemes.
● JD(S) can only cut into some votes. But they cannot take on the Congress thus they can
protect the people from the corruption and misgovernance of Siddaramaiah Government.

Making smart use of his NaMo mobile app once again, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday wooed Karnataka farmers to vote for the BJP in the May 12 state Assembly elections.

Addressing cadres of the party’s state farmers’ cells (Kisan Morcha Karyakartas) through his NaMo app, Modi listed the various pro-farmer schemes initiated by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government to improve their welfare and income over the last four years.

“Nature, farmers and the government have to work hand-in-hand. We are trying to look at the agriculture sector holistically — from soil health to taking its produce to the market (beej se bazaar thak),” said Modi in his 40-minute interactive audio-video discussion in Hindi.

Accusing the ruling Congress in the state of remaining indifferent to farmers’ issues, Modi regretted that they (farmers) did not benefit from of the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance scheme) because the state government did not care to implement it.

“Hence, it’s time for the people to form such a government in Karnataka that understands the farmers’ issues. Our annual budgets so far have been hailed as farmers’ budgets for the measures taken to benefit them,” asserted Modi.

Highlighting the importance of agriculture in the country’s economy, Modi said the NDA government had issued 93-lakh soil health cards to the farmers across the state till date and fertilisers were distributed with neem coating to help the soil gain more nutrients and produce higher yields.

“In the Union Budget for 2018-19, we have increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to 1.5 times of the production cost to double the farmers’ income,” reiterated Modi.

Tech-savvy Modi first used the NaMo app on April 26 to connect with his party’s state unit cadres, leaders and candidates ahead of the polls on May 12 and vote-counting on May 15.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held the Congress government in Karnataka responsible for “political violence that led to the death of several BJP cadres” in the state.

“It is extremely shameful that the Congress government allowed violence in the state and several BJP workers were murdered. The Congress must provide an answer to the rising crime,” Modi told a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally at M.G.M. College Grounds in this coastal district city.

Through his 40-minute speech in Hindi, the Prime Minister addressed hundreds of people, including party cadres, gathered on a sunny afternoon.

This was Modi’s second rally after the one in Chamarajanagar district earlier in the day, kick-starting BJP’s poll campaign for the May 12 Assembly elections.

The opposition BJP has been holding the Congress responsible for the murders of party workers in the state’s coastal region in the last five years.

“While on the one hand, the BJP is talking about the ‘ease of doing business’ in our country, the Congress believes in ‘ease of doing murder’. This is the kind of culture they have developed,” Modi said.

Accusing the government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of allowing the “sand mafia” to operate in the state, Modi appealed to the people to vote for change and development.

“Those who loot cannot remain in power and must be ousted,” Modi said, adding that the Congress had promoted intolerance and violence.

“When the state’s Lokayukta is not safe, how can the common man be?”

Karnataka’s anti-graft ombudsman Justice P. Vishwanatha Shetty was stabbed at his office by a man in the state capital on March 7. Shetty returned to work a few days ago.

Hailing the Udupi district’s residents for starting for several national banks, Modi said that his government had been working towards making these banks accessible to the poorest of the poor.

Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, Corporation Bank, and Vijaya Bank are some of the oldest banks in the country that were set up in what are now the Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.

Over 31 crore bank accounts for the poor have been opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Modi said.

Modi will address another party rally at Chikodi in Belagavi district.

The BJP is contesting all 224 Assembly seats to return to power.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lamented that all development in Karnataka has been blocked by the ruling Congress due to its obsession with family politics.

“Where there is Congress, all roads that lead to development are blocked. There is only family politics, corruption and lack of harmony,” Modi told a Bharatiya Janata Party rally in Santhemarahalli village, about 170 km south of Bengaluru.

Launching the BJP’s election campaign in the district for the upcoming Assembly election, Modi addressed hundreds of people, including party cadres.

“We hear in Delhi that there is a BJP wave in Karnataka. But as I see it, it’s not just a wave but a storm,” thundered Modi.

The Prime Minister’s 40-minute speech in Hindi was simultaneously translated into Kannada, a first since his visits to the southern state over the past few months, so as to connect with the people in the local language.

Law and order in Karnataka has collapsed under Congress rule, Modi said.

“When the Lokayukta in the state is not safe, how can one expect the common people to be safe under the Congress government?”

Karnataka’s anti-graft ombudsman Justice P. Vishwanatha Shetty was stabbed at his office by a man in the state capital on March 7.

The Congress has also failed in keeping its promises about electrifying villages, Modi said, adding that April 28, 2018 would be remembered by the country forever when 18,000 Indian villages were electrified.

“(Former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh said Indian villages would be electrified by 2009, but in four years they could electrify only two villages. The Congress has nothing but contempt for the poor,” alleged Modi.

The Centre will now work towards electrifying each household in the country, he added.

Modi also challenged Congress President Rahul Gandhi to speak for 15 minutes on the achievements of his party’s government in Karnataka.

“The Congress President had challenged me that if he speaks for 15 minutes in Parliament, I will not be able to take it. I ask him (Gandhi) to talk about the achievements of Congress government in Karnataka, without a paper in your hand.”

Modi also attacked the Congress for indulging in “family politics” by allowing a party’s leaders kith and kin to contest in the Assembly elections.

“For the Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) the rule is ‘2+1’, where he will contest from two seats and has given his old seat (Varuna in Mysuru district) to his son (Yathindra) and for the other ministers (in the state cabinet), the rule seems to be ‘1+1’, allowing their relatives to fight polls.”

Fearing defeat, Siddaramaiah was changing his Assembly constituencies and contesting from two seats, Modi alleged.

Siddaramaiah has filed nominations for the May 12 election from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district and Badami in Bagalkot district, while his son Yathindra is contesting from Varuna in Mysuru district.

Though Siddaramaiah had won from Varuna twice since the 2008 Assembly elections, he shifted to Chamundeshwari, making way for his son Yathindra to contest from his home constituency.

“For the Congress, it has always been about family politics. But for us (BJP), it is about people’s politics. People of the state will decide which kind of politics they will choose (in the upcoming election),” Modi said.

He appealed to the people to vote for politics of honesty.

“Let this vote strengthen our commitment to end corruption. This vote of yours will not just choose your MLA, but will decide the future of the state.

“(BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate) B.S. Yeddyurappa is the hope for Karnataka and he will soon be chosen as the Chief Minister,” asserted Modi.

The BJP wants to create a safe and secure Karnataka on the path of development, he added.

Modi will also address rallies on Tuesday in Udupi and Belagavi districts.

By Shri Ram Shaw

Karnataka is the largest state in south India based on area. The state is usually classified into 5 distinct parts for analysing electoral politics.

1. Old Mysuru Region

2. Bombay Karnataka

3. Hyderabad Karnataka

4. Coastal Karnataka

5. Bengaluru

Karnataka has three main political parties vying for power.

1. Indian National Congress

2. Bharatiya Janata Party

3. Janata Dal (Secular)

Karnataka is currently ruled by Indian National Congress under the leadership of Siddaramaiah. Bharatiya Janata Party and JD(S) are the Opposition parties. The last Assembly Elections happened in 2013 and the next election is due on May 12.

Karnataka has 224 Assembly constituencies. Any party requires 113 seats to form the Government. The current strength of the ruling party Congress is 124. The Opposition parties BJP and JD(S) have 44 and 39 seats respectively.

Partywise Distribution of Assembly Seats

Indian National Congress – 124

Bharatiya Janata Party – 44

Janata Dal (Secular) – 39

Independents – 9

BSR Congress – 3

Karnataka Janata Paksha – 2

Karnataka Makkala Paksha – 1

Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha – 1 (vacant – MLA expired recently)

Regions of Karnataka and Assembly Seat Distribution

1. Old Mysuru – 88 seats

2. Bombay Karnataka – 50 seats

3. Hyderabad Karnataka – 39 seats

4. Bengaluru – 28 seats

5. Coastal Karnataka – 19 seats

Total – 224 seats

Districts of Bombay Karnataka Region and Number of Assembly Constituencies

1. Belagavi – 18 seats

2. Bagalkote – 7 seats

3. Gadag – 4 seats

4. Haveri – 6 seats

5. Dharwad – 7 seats

6. Vijayapura – 8 seats

Total – 50 seats

Districts of Coastal Karnataka Region and Number of Assembly Constituencies

1. Uttara Kannada – 6 seats

2. Dakshina Kannada – 8 seats

3. Udupi – 5 seats

Total – 19 seats

Districts of Hyderabad Karnataka and Number of Assembly Constituencies

1. Bidar – 6 seats

2. Kalaburagi – 9 seats

3. Raichur – 7 seats

4. Yadgir – 4 seats

5. Koppala – 5 seats

6. Ballari – 8 seats

Total – 39 seats

Districts of Old Mysuru – Number of Assembly Seats

Mysuru – 12

Chamarajanagar – 5

Tumakuru – 11

Kolara – 6

Chikkaballapura – 5

Shivamogga – 7

Chikkamagaluru – 5

Davanagere – 8

Mandya – 7

Ramanagara – 4

Kodagu – 2

Chitradurga – 6

Hassan – 7

Bengaluru Rural – 3

Total – 88

Bengaluru has 28 out of 224 Assembly constituencies of Karnataka. It can be considered a unique electoral region since its trends are slightly different from the rest of old Mysuru region, where it falls.

Assembly Constituencies of Bengaluru

1. Yelahanka

2. Krishna Raja Pura

3. Byatarayanapura

4. Yashwantpura

5. Rajarajeshwari Nagara

6. Mahalakshmi Layout

7. Dasarahalli

8. Malleshwara

9. Hebbala

10. Pulakeshi Nagara

11. Sarvagna Nagara

12. Shivajinagara

13. Shantinagara

14. Gandhinagara

15. Rajajinagara

16. CV Raman Nagara

17. Govindarajanagara

18. Vijayanagara

19. Chamarajapete

20. Chikkapete

21. Basavanagudi

22. BTM Layout

23. Padmanabhanagara

24. Jayanagara

25. Bommanahalli

26. Mahadevapura

27. Bengaluru South

28. Anekal

Party wise performance in Bengaluru – 2008 Assembly Elections

Total – 28 seats

BJP – 17 seats

Congress – 10 seats

JD(S) – 1 seat

Party wise performance in Bengaluru – 2013 Assembly Elections

Total – 28 seats

BJP – 12 seats

Congress – 13 seats

JD(S) – 3 seats

The erstwhile JD(S) leader Zameer Ahmed Khan, who was elected as MLA both in 2008 and 2013 Assembly Elections, has switched over to Congress this time around.

Will it be a complete two-way battle between Congress and BJP, or does JD(S) still have a chance without him?

Constituencies which saw swing from 2008 to 2013

KR Pura – BJP(2008) – Congress(2013)

Yashwantpura – BJP(2008), Congress(2013)

Rajarajeshwarinagara – BJP(2008), Congress (2013)

Mahalakshmi Layout – Congress(2008), JDS(2013)

Pulakeshinagar – Congress(2008), JDS(2013)

Govindarajanagara – BJP(2008), Congress(2013)

Chickpet – BJP(2008), Congress(2013)

Anekal – BJP(2008), Congress (2013)

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

In Karnataka, State Election Machinery and Income Tax Department have stepped up their action against misuse of money in election and for the first time. Teams with statutory powers and sufficient resources in terms of manpower, vehicles etc. have been posted in each district of the state.

Total cash seizure as on Monday (April 30) is Rs.19.69 crores and the unexplained jewellery of value Rs. 4.81 crores has been made by the Investigation Wing of Income Tax department in Karnataka after the start of the Assembly election related surveillance.
In 2013, Karnataka State Assembly Elections, the total seizure made in the entire campaign period was only Rs 4.97 crore cash and Rs 3.41 crore worth of jewellery. It has been found that the bulk of cash seized during operations in the present Assembly Elections is has been meant for distribution.
The Investigation Wing of the Income Tax Department has been doing intensive surveillance and monitoring activities in the State.
The details of some of the major activities carried out by Income Tax department are as follows.

(A) Searches conducted in Mysore on 24th April

1. Based on the intelligence, search and seizure operations were conducted on several government contractors between the 24th and 26th of April 18. This resulted in a seizure of unaccounted cash of Rs 6.76 crore from four such contractors in the Mysore area. The entire amount seized was in higher denomination notes i.e. Rs.2,000 and Rs. 500 and the bulk of the seizure was made from lockers in benami names. The cash found and seized was not reflected in the books of account maintained by the contractors and they could not explain the source of the cash.

2. Hoarding of huge stocks cash by these persons at a time when the election process is in progress and when cash shortages are reported in some areas in the state raises troubling questions.

(B) Bangalore, Davangere and Mysore cases on 26th April to 28th April

1. Based on the specific intelligence that cash is hoarded by Government contractors for being used for election purposes, search action has been initiated in the cases of 3 contractors in Bangalore, Davangere and Mysore on April 26 and were concluded on April 28.

2. Unaccounted cash of Rs. 4.08 crores and unexplained gold jewellery of 2.79 Crores worth were seized. In one of the contractor’s case, cash of Rs. 1.2 crores was found in a moving car.

3. During the search evidences have been recovered showing inflation of purchases, bogus sub-contractor and labour payments and unaccounted cash payments. The searched party admitted additional income of Rs.74.39 crores.

(C) Searches conducted in Bangalore on April 28 and 29

Based on the intelligence inputs that one person was funding certain candidates of a particular party, a search was conducted at 2 business premises and 1 residence, which continued for 32 hours and resulted in seizure of Rs. 3.18 Crs of cash, concluded on early hours of 29th April.

Cash of Rs.2.00 crores was found in a car parked closed to the main persons residence, which was found by the department after causing the thorough rummaging of the persons premises and belongings.

(D) Searches conducted at Khanapur, Hubballi and Bangalore on 28th and 29th April, 2018

1. Searches were conducted on a candidate who is contesting on a party ticket based on verification of the affidavit filed by him, specific intelligence about the cash transactions and other particulars.

2. It was found that the contesting candidate is a non – filer since AY 2012-13 onwards. However, in his election affidavit he has declared some income and put a remark that online filing of return has been blocked by Income Tax Department so he could not file his return and has paid Self Assessment Tax.

3. There is no such thing like blocking the filing of return. Also, there are substantial discrepancies between income declared by his wife in her return of income filed, declared in affidavit and actually detected during the search.

4. He accepted that five Properties (out of which 3 are General Power of Attorneys and 2 are purchased Properties) of his family members have not been declared in the election affidavit.

5. During the search it was found that he and his family members have not declared their income out of real estate business and Joint Development Agreements. The income detected and now being declared by him and his family members is Approx. Rs.18.00 crores for various Assessment Years, including he himself, his wife and two sons. He has most of the business activities in family member’s name only.

6. Issues like valuation of properties which he claimed to be valued at Rs.191.00 crores are under investigation.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

The assembly election in Karnataka, due on May 12, is seen as a high stakes battle between Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is going all out to win back the first southern state the party had ruled. Exit polls, however, have not given a clear majority to either party and increasingly, it appears that Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) may have the power to decide the outcome.
The BJP has chosen as its chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa, who was mired in charges of venality during his last term as head of the BJP’s first southern government. He told NDTV that it was his decision to disallow his son from running for office. However, the last-minute editing out of his son, BY Vijayendra, from the list of candidates has reportedly upset the 75-year-old, though he told that the exclusion was in keeping with the BJP’s policy of avoiding “father-son” combos as candidates.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is seen as having far more autonomy in the running of his campaign than provided to Mr Yeddyurappa by the BJP, said, “I am not at all bothered whether (BJP president) Amit Shah comes or Prime Minister Narendra Modi comes and campaigns here.”
The caste factor has been enormous in this election with the chief minister calling for the Lingayats, estimated to form 17 per cent of the population, to be recognised as a religion. The Lingayats have traditionally backed the BJP and Mr Yeddyurappa is the prosperous community’s tallest leader. So the Congress move is a blatant attempt to replace the BJP as the Lingayats’ preferred choice.

The Lingayats, concentrated in North and Central Karnataka, decide 62 seats. The Scheduled Castes and Tribes, domination the east, influence an equal number. Coastal Karnataka is a mixture of all cadres and decides 33 seats. Muslims power the outcome of 24 seats.
There are 224 seats in all. To win, a party must get 113.

Mr Siddaramaiah left Mr Gowda’s JDS for the Congress in 2005. Mr Kumaraswamy , who is Mr Gowda’s son, was then the Chief Minister of a coalition government with the BJP, a move which so upset his father that he fell sick.

“His father’s health is important to him,” Mr Gowda said, when asked if, given a chance, Mr Kumaraswamy would return to a BJP team.

The battle for Karnataka is expected to be a close fight.

it polls have not given a clear majority to either BJP or Congress
Vote swing of 3 to 4 per cent can deliver majority to either party
The assembly election in Karnataka, due on May 12, is seen as a high stakes battle between Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is going all out to win back the first southern state the party had ruled. Exit polls, however, have not given a clear majority to either party and increasingly, it appears that Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s Janata Dal (Secular) may have the power to decide the outcome.
The results of a poll of opinion polls – an average of the exit poll results – conducted in January and since, show a slight decline for the BJP.

karnataka assembly election
But this is not much different from the scenario that would have been there after the 2013 assembly polls, had BS Yeddyurappa been a part of the BJP. Mr Yeddyurappa, who led the BJP to a victory in 2008 and became the chief minister, had to step down following corruption charges. He walked out of the BJP and contested the 2013 elections at the head of his own party. He rejoined BJP within a year and is the BJP’s Chief Ministerial candidate this time.

The battle for Karnataka is expected to be a close fight – a vote swing of 3 to 4 per cent either way can deliver a majority to the Congress, or the BJP.

The Congress is going to need only a 3 per cent swing for a majority – most of its gains could come from areas with a substantial population of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

For the BJP, a 4 per cent vote swing is necessary for an outright victory. It could be possible if the Lingayats, traditional supporters of the party, continue to vote for it in face of the Congress move to swing the votes in its favour by giving the community the minority religion status.

The leaders of all three parties – Congress chief Minister Siddaramaiah, BJP’s Yeddyurappa and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, the son of Mr Deve Gowda – have expressed confidence about a clear verdict. Past experience shows that the state has given a hung verdict only in 15 per cent of the 14 assembly elections held till date. For the rest, the verdict was clear.

Caste is expected to be one of the key influencing factors in the state. Lingayat politics have dominated much of the campaign, with the community being able to influence the outcome in 62 seats. An equal number of seats can be influenced by the Scheduled Castes and Tribes – followed by Vokkaligas, Kurubas and the Muslims.

The BJP has traditionally been the big gainer in the Lingayat belt, the Congress has had a moderate advantage in the Muslim belt. The JD(S) gains in the areas dominated by the Vokkaligas.

One assembly seat in Karnataka has managed to remain the bellwether seat for a dozen elections — assembly and Lok Sabha — and is the most watched seat in the state. Shirahatti, named after a panchayat town in central Karnataka’s Gadag district — has managed to vote for the winning party in the state and centre. Its streak has continued for seven assembly and five Lok Sabha elections.

Shirahatti is followed by Yelburga, also in Central Karnataka, which got the winning party right five times. Six other seats voted for the winning party in four assembly elections in the state.

Elections for Karnataka’s 224 seats will be held on May 12. The results will be declared on May 15.