Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Now, parties shift focus to 14 seats going to polls on May 7

With 14 seats in the state set to vote on Friday, parties have shifted their machinery to the remaining 14 seats, where voters will exercise their franchise on May 7.

While the BJP is looking to consolidate its base on the back of the Neha murder case, Congress is expected to double down on the guarantees.

The parties will use lessons from the April 26 voting to make course corrections for the subsequent phase on May 7. The Congress had drawn a blank in all 14 seats that are going to polls on May 7, while the BJP had achieved 100% strike rate there.

Direct fight

The JD(S), now an NDA partner, is a negligible force in these segments. Hence, a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP is on the cards.  

Congress’ national leaders like party president Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi will be leading the party’s charge in these 14 constituencies.  

The BJP is fielding Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to lead the party’s campaign. 

‘Minority appeasement’

V Sunil Kumar, BJP’s Karnataka election management committee convenor, told DH that the party would build its campaign around the Neha murder case, ‘minority appeasement’ by the Congress and the PM’s accusation against the Congress on its plan for ‘wealth redistribution,’ for the next phase of elections in the state.

“All our senior leaders and MLAs will be assigned to take up campaign duties. We are going to launch an intensive door-to-door campaign from April 25,” he said.

KPCC working president
G C Chandrashekhar told DH that apart from highlighting the guarantees, the Congress will build a narrative over Modi’s ‘failure’ in delivering on his promises.

“We will highlight how the PM failed to release development grants to the state. The campaign will talk about not a ‘single paise’ being released by the Centre for the Upper Bhadra project, failure to clear the Mahadayi project and the delay in the release of drought relief funds,” he said.  

Caste leaders

The party plans to  deploy two ministers each to a Lok Sabha seat, besides caste leaders in each Assembly segment to woo community voters.