Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Bengaluru Rural key candidates: DK Suresh vs CN Manjunath. All you need to know

Within a few hours, the polling for the second phase of general elections will begin in Bengaluru as scheduled on Friday. Polling will be conducted in fourteen out of 28 seats in Karnataka, which includes all four Bengaluru Lok Sabha constituencies. Bengaluru South, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, and Bengaluru Rural are the four Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka’s capital. The remaining 14 seats in Karnataka will go to polls during the third phase, which is scheduled for May 7.

Also Read - Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Bengaluru North key candidates: Shobha Karandlaje vs Rajeev Gowda. All you need to know

Bengaluru Rural

Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seat has grabbed special attention in Karnataka politics this time as a fierce battle is expected between two national parties. Most rural areas surrounding Bengaluru fall under this Lok Sabha seat, and both Congress and BJP aim to win this seat in Karnataka. Eight assembly constituencies are part of this Parliament seat: Kunigal, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore South, Anekal, Magadi, Ramanagara, Kanakapura and Channapatna.

How did Bengaluru Rural vote in the past?

Along with Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru Rural was also created during delimitation in 2008. In 2009, former Karnataka chief minister and JDS second-in-chief HD Kumaraswamy won from this seat, which has the majority of Vokkaliga voters. In 2013, Congress strongman DK Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh won from Bengaluru Rural in the by-election and retained it in the 2014 and 2019 general elections. DK Suresh was also a lone Congress MP from Karnataka in 2019, as it only won one seat in the southern state in the last elections.

Who are key candidates in Bengaluru Rural?

Both the Congress and BJP-JDS alliance have taken this seat as a matter of prestige and conducted a high-profile campaign.

Congress’ DK Suresh will be taking on BJP-JDS's CN Manjunath, a cardiologist and son-in-law to former prime minister HD Devegowda. It will be an important election for both Vokkaliga leaders as it will prove their mettle in the influential community of Karnataka. The majority of old-Mysore region which was considered as a bastion for the JDS voted in favor of Congress in the assembly elections and BJP roped in CN Manjunath to take on DK Suresh in Bengaluru Rural which has constituencies from Ramanagara and Channapatna.

The BJP cornered DK Suresh for making “separate nation” comments earlier during the union budget and said that the saffron party is not allocating proper funds to southern states.