Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018: 5 key contests in Karnataka

BADAMI CONSTITUENCY: Siddaramaiah vs B Sriramulu

SIDDARAMAIAH – Congress leader and present chief minister of Karnataka. He has been the leader of opposition in the 224-member state assembly. A political heavyweight, Siddaramaiah comes from the Kuruba (shepherd) community and champions the cause of all the backward castes in the state.

B SRIRAMULU – The challenger from BJP who is a Scheduled Tribes leader and Lok Sabha member from Ballari. B Sriramulu is second only to BS Yeddyurappa in Karnataka BJP. He is a young leader and has immense support from the tribal community. Apart from Badami, Srisamulu is also contesting from Molakalmuru.

CHAMUNDESWARI CONSTITUENCY: Siddaramaiah vs GT Deve Gowda

SIDDARAMAIAH – This is the second constituency Siddaramaiah is contesting this election from. He has made development as the main plank of his campaign for these elections. Siddaramaiah was victorious in five of his seven election outings in Chamundeshwari until he switched to neighbouring Varuna constituency in 2008.

GT DEVE GOWDA – He is challenging Siddaramaiah from Chamundeswari. He is prominent Vokkaliga leader. He has represented Chamundeshwari constituency as a JD(S) nominee in the past. Gowda is known for his active involvement in the cooperative movement.

KORATAGERE CONSTITUENCY: G Parameshwara vs PR Sudhakar Lal

G PARAMESHWARA - The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president is the longest-serving head of the KPCC and a strong contender for the chief minister’s post. He was defeated by Sudhakar Lal in 2013, but is expected to garner many votes this time because even after the defeat, he has been actively involved in infrastructure development, installation of drinking water units and construction of Indira Canteens in this backward and reserved constituency. All his work is deeply acknowledged by the people of Koratagere.

PR SUDHAKAR LAL - He was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in the year 2013, defeating G Parameshwara. He is from Janata Dal (Secular).

SHIMOGA CONSTITUENCY: KS Eshwarappa vs KB Prasanna Kumar

KS ESHWARAPPA - Eshwarappa is a prominent BJP leader who is currently the leader of opposition in the Legislative Council. The former Karnataka deputy chief Minister won five times from Shimoga but was defeated in the last assembly election in 2013. But this time, he is widely believed to emerge victorious.

KB PRASANNA KUMAR -  He defeated Eshwarappa from Shimoga in 2013 to enter Karnataka Assembly as MLA. 

CHANNAPATNA CONSTITUENCY: HD Kumaraswamy vs CP Yogeshwar

HD KUMARASWAMY - JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy is the former Karnataka chief minister and the son of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. Holding a strong base in southern Karnataka, Kumaraswamy is confident that his party will do well in the northern side of the state as well. He is representing the Channapatna district constituency.

CP YOGESHWAR - Yogeshwar is contesting from Channapatna for the third time. He has won every election that he has contested from the constituency in the last 10 years. He has a huge support of Dalit people.