Lok Sabha elections 2024: In Bengaluru Rural, it's a battle of Vokkaligas between DK Suresh, Deve Gowda's son-in-law

Bengaluru South volition witnesser a pugnacious conflict of the influential Vokkaliga families successful the Congress bastion, that has been won by DK Suresh since 2013. 

Congress' incumbent MP DK Suresh is acceptable to fastener horns with renowned cardiologist C N Manjunath who is the son-in-law of erstwhile Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and is contesting connected a BJP ticket, for the Bengaluru Rural seat. 

Understanding Bengaluru Rural

Located crossed the districts of Ramanagara, Bangalore Urban, and Tumakuru successful confederate Karnataka, the Bengaluru Rural constituency boasts a predominantly agrarian landscape, accounting for 80% of its territory. However, interspersed wrong this agrarian expanse are IT parks and concern townships, reflecting pockets of municipality development. 

With a divers electorate, astir 70% Vokkaligas and 15% Muslims marque up the constituency's voting demographics, presenting a analyzable and varied governmental landscape.

Polls successful Bengaluru Rural

In 2009, the archetypal predetermination aft the 2008 delimitation, the Bangalore Rural spot was won by Deve Gowda’s lad and erstwhile CM H D Kumaraswamy. 

DK Suresh won the constituency successful a bypoll successful 2013 and retained it successful 2014 and 2019, with a ballot stock of implicit 44% and 54% respectively. 

The Congress leaders DK Shivakumar and DK Suresh Brothers dealt different stroke to the JD(S) archetypal household during Karnataka Assembly polls 2023 erstwhile Congress campaigner Iqbal Hussain defeated Kumaraswamy’s lad Nikhil by much than 10,000 votes successful the Ramanagara Assembly conception that had been with the “JD(S)’s archetypal family" since 2004.

Apart from Ramanagara, the Congress holds Anekal, Kunigal, Magadi and Kanakapura Assembly segments portion the BJP has MLAs successful the Rajarajeshwarinagar and Bangalore South seats. 

The JD(S) holds the Channapatna Assembly constituency. The 3 seats with the BJP-JD(S) confederation relationship for 50% of Bangalore Rural’s voters.

Vokkaliga assemblage origin successful Bengaluru Rural

The BJP, traditionally supported by the Lingayat community, is present mounting its sights connected garnering enactment from the Vokkaliga assemblage successful Karnataka. Historically, the Vokkaligas person been loyal to the JD(S), but caller trends suggest a displacement towards the Congress. 

With the JD(S) alliance, BJP hopes to marque inroads into the Vokkaliga ballot bank, perchance altering the state's governmental landscape.

Lok Sabha Elections Phase 2: Karnataka

For Phase Two Udupi Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkballapur, and Kolar volition spell into voting connected April 26. 

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Published: 25 Apr 2024, 06:11 AM IST