Both sides filed several complaints against the Election Commission during the campaign
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge made an emotional appeal citing the threat from a BJP candidate while the BJP’s veteran B S Yediyurappa insisted that BJP will win a clean majority as the campaigning wrapped for Karnataka Assembly Elections on Monday.
The Contest is close and the stakes are high, both sides filed many complaints with the Election Commission during the campaigning.
Congress sensing a victory after a long time in the south-in a major state the only one in the south carried an aggressive campaign with the strong leaders of the party such as Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar, and the appeal of the Gandhis. Apart from Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Sonia Gandhi addressed the people in a rally during the campaign. The Gandhis spent extended time in Karnataka for the election campaign.
From the BJP side, the majority of the campaigning in the state of Karnataka was done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last week starting April 29. Modi held about 19 mega public meetings and six roadshows, in Karnataka with the poll slogan ‘Ee Baariya Nirdhara, Bahumatada BJP Sarkara.(There is only one Sarkar,the BJP Sarkar)
Modi faced criticism as he hurt the religious sentiments of the people by equating Lord Ram and Bali with Bajrang Dal.BJP took it as the main theme in the election campaigns.
Modi sensed a threat against a tweet by the Congress about the independence of Karnataka that dominated the state election campaign.
BJP promised a highly active government and campaigned about national issues and central government programmes and schemes and the achievement of these programmes. Before the elections were announced Modi visited Karnataka many times to unveil government projects and schemes.
Yediyurappa expressed his fear that Lingayats might vote against BJP for defeating him. However, he rejected the claim that the Lingayats would vote for Congress and stressed the fact that they would vote for the BJP and BJP would vote for 130-135 votes.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, also a Lingayat, dismissed the group as a “fictional organization” as a Lingayat forum and wrote a public letter asking members to back the Congress party.
According to BJP 206 public meetings and 90 roadshows were held during the campaigning while its state leaders held 231 meetings and 48 road shows.
Congress managed to keep the campaign about local issues.
When Kharge and his son remarked about BJP along with Priyanka Gandhi, Modi brought the campaign back on track.
While addressing a rally in Kalaburagi, his hometown, Kharge called himself,” Bhoomiputra, son of soil" and the 81-year-old said that BJP was ignoring his hometown. With respect to an alleged assassination plot, Kharge said BJP might have thought of earring me and my family completely from the face of the Earth.
As per Congress count, its leaders held 99 public meetings and 33 road shows in total during the election campaign in Karnataka.
The JDs who want to be the winner in the elections in the state-run a localized campaign promising a five-year-old program called Pancharatna stressing education, housing, health and jobs.
Edited By:Kavya Vengkateshwaran
Share This Post On
0 comments
Leave a comment
You need to login to leave a comment. Log-in
