Mumbai, April 27: As polling day for Karnataka Assembly Election nears, parties are leaving no stone unturned to win voters. With hardly 15 days left for the Vidhan Sabha polls, the Bhartiya Janata Party, Congress, and JD(S) all have announced their full list of candidates for the May 10 elections. The Assembly Elections for the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka will take place on May 10 with the polls witnessing a three-way battle between ruling party BJP, opposition Congress and regional party Janata Dal (Secular).

Voting for the 224 seats of the Karnataka Assembly will take place in a single phase with the counting of votes to be held on May 13. While announcing the election scheduled for Karnataka, the Election Commission said that of the 224 assembly constituencies, 36 seats have been reserved for Schedules Castes while 15 seats have been kept for Schedules Tribes. While the term of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly will end on May 24, it is to be seen who will go to form the government in the state. Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: From V Somanna and Jagdish Shettar to Ramesh Jarkiholi, List of Key Candidates of BJP, Congress, JDS and Their Constituencies.

Ahead of the assembly elections in the state, we take a look at some of the key candidates who are in the fray for the May 10 polls.

J Preetham Gowda: BJP:

The ruling party BJP has fielded sitting MLA J Preetham Gowda from the Hassan constituency. Gowda will be facing Congress candidate Banavasi Rangaswamy and Swaroop H S Prakash of JD(S). In the 2018 Assembly Election, Gowda H S Prakash of the Janata Dal (Secular) with a margin of 13,006 votes. Gowda could face a serious threat from JD(S) candidate Prakash, who is popular among the youth.

B. Y. Vijayendra: BJP

The Shikaripura constituency of Karnataka will witness a triangular battle between BY Vijayendra of BJP, Sudhakar Shetty of JD(S) and GB Malatesh of the Congress party. However, reports suggest that the fight will be between BJP and Congress. The ruling party BJP has trusted sitting MLA and former CM BS Yediyurappa's son BY Vijayendra to win the Shikaripura constituency. Besides being Yediyurappa's son, Vijayendra is also the BJP's state unit vice president. Can Vijayendra repeat his father's success in Shikaripura is the question that will be answered on May 10.

Laxman Savadi: Congress

The grand old party has fielded Laxman Savadi from the Athani constituency against BJP's Mahesh Kumathalli and Shashikant Padasalagi of JD(S). Savadi, who is a BJP turncoat will be up against sitting MLA Kumathalli, who won the 2019 assembly election against a Congress candidate with a margin of margin of 39,989 votes. Besides being an MLA, Savadi also served the state as deputy Chief Minister and minister in the past. Karnataka Assembly Election 2023: From Basavaraj Bommai to Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy, List of Key Candidates of BJP, Congress, JDS and Their Constituencies.

UT Khader: Congress

A traditional Congress bastion, the Mangalore constituency will see a stiff fight between sitting MLA UT Abdul Khader and BJP's Sathish Kumpala. Since 2008, Khader has been winning the Mangalore constituency time and again. In the 2018 assembly election, the Congress leader defeated the BJP candidate by a margin of 19,739 votes. While the Congress has managed a stronghold in Mangalore, it is to be seen if BJP can snatch the grand old party's fortress.

Araga Jnanendra: BJP:

The ruling party BJP has fielded Araga Jnanendra, sitting MLA from the Tirthahalli constituency which will see a three-way battle between Jnanandrs, Raja Ram of JD(S) and Kimmane Rathnakar of Congress. The straight fight will be between BJP and Congress as sitting MLA Jnanendra defeated Kimmane Rathnakara in the 2018 assembly elections with a margin of 21,955 votes. In the fight between the saffron party and the grand old party, JD(S) could try and make inroads in Tirthahalli.

Kumar Bangarappa: BJP

Sitting MLA Kumar Bangarappa will be aiming to win the Sorab constituency once again in the upcoming polls on May 10. The BJP leader will be up against Congress candidate S. Madhu Bangarappa and JD(S) leader Baasur Chandregowda. The Sorab constituency has seen the seat being governed by BJP and JS(S) so far, however, things could change if Madhu Bangarappa, former Sorab MLA wins the seat this year. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Full List of BJP Candidates and Their Constituencies.

BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan: Congress

The Chamrajpet constituency, which has been a stronghold of Congress candidate and sitting MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan witness a battle between Congress, JD(S) and BJP. The JD(S) party has fielded Govindaraju while BJP has chosen Bhaskar Rao to win against sitting MLA Khan. Khan, a four-time MLA has also served as a minister in the past. Will Khan continue his dominance or will BJP or JD(S) make inroads in Chamrajpet, we will come to know on May 10.

The results of the Karnataka Assembly Elections will play a crucial role for all parties especially BJP and Congress ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. A win for BJP will only confirm the saffron party's stronghold across the country while a Congress win could pave the way for a strong opposition to the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre for the next general elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 27, 2023 09:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).