Sumalatha Ambareesh, an Independent, takes on chief minister’s son Nikhil in Mandya

BENGALURU: The fate of 241 candidates contesting from 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in South and Central Karnataka will be sealed in 52,112 ballot units as half of the state goes to polls today. Of Karnataka’s 5.10 crore voters, 2.67 crore are eligible to vote in the second phase of the seven-phase general elections.

The contest in Karnataka is primarily between the BJP and the Congress-JD(S) alliance, barring Mandya and Bengaluru Central. In these two constituencies, independent candidates are putting up a tough fight.

The BJP has fielded candidates in all constituencies except in Mandya where it has extended support to independent candidate Sumalatha, wife of the late actor-turned-politician Ambareesh. Sensing difficulties for his son Nikhil, who is the coalition candidate, chief minister HD Kumaraswamy has been campaigning in Mandya with many of his cabinet colleagues for the past few days.


While the BJP is banking on the image of prime minister Narendra Modi, the Congress-JD(S) alliance has been trying to counter it with the promise of an opposition unity. Of the 14 seats, the Congress is contesting in 10 while the JD(S) has fielded candidates in four, including Udupi-Chikmagalur where the regional party has little following.

All the four Lok Sabha constituencies of Bangalore (Central, South, North and Rural) too vote on Thursday.

Election officials said arrangements are in place for peaceful elections and hoped for a better voter turnout in Bengaluru this time around. The turnout in Karnataka in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections was 67.20%, with Bengaluru North, Central and South recorded voting percentages of 56.53%, 55.64% and 55.75% respectively. Voters are barred from taking their cell phones inside polling stations. The CEO, Karnataka, has said voters should leave behind their phones either at home or deposit with security personnel at the booths.

The police has arranged security in the form of police personnel, home guards, civil defence personnel, forest guards and even jail wardens — totaling 90,997 — to guard 30,197 polling booths. In addition, 55 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been deployed at critical cluster booths, mostly in Mandya, Hassan, Bangalore Rural and Tumkur.