Bengaluru, April 26 (UNI) The electoral fervor swept across Karnataka on Friday as citizens queued up to exercise their franchise for the second phase of Lok Sabha elections.
Among the first to cast their votes were prominent personalities including author Sudha Murthy, Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy, and former cricketer Rahul Dravid.
Sudha Murthy, renowned for her literary prowess and philanthropic endeavors, emphasized the importance of voting and appealed to the youth to actively participate in the democratic process. "If at this age I can come and vote at 7 am, I am sure youngsters have more energy. I appeal to everyone to vote. Youngsters are smarter than me. I am sure they know how to elect," she asserted.
Her sentiments were echoed by NR Narayana Murthy, who underlined the significance of citizens exercising their voting rights.
Meanwhile, Rahul Dravid, revered as one of India's cricketing legends and currently serving as Team India's coach, set an example by casting his vote early at a polling booth near Dollars Colony in Bengaluru North.
The electoral battle in Karnataka primarily features a showdown between the Congress party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-JD(S) alliance. This marks a departure from the triangular contest witnessed in the previous Assembly elections, with the Lok Sabha polls presenting a direct face-off between these two major political alliances.
While the Congress is contesting all 14 seats, the BJP has fielded candidates in 11 constituencies, with its ally JD(S) contesting in Hassan, Mandya, and Kolar.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured victory in 11 out of the 14 seats, while the Congress and JD(S) managed to secure one seat each.
Key candidates to watch in this phase include Tejasvi Surya, Shobha Karandlaje, Soumya Reddy, DK Suresh, Prajwal Revanna, Shreyas Patel, and Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.
As voters cast their ballots across constituencies including Udupi-Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Hassan, Mandya, Kolar, and Chikkballapur, the results of today's voting will shape the political trajectory of these crucial seats in Karnataka.
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