Political Pulse

The BJP rode the Narendra Modi wave to a landslide victory in the 2019 elections in North Karnataka's 14 Lok Sabha seats. This Tuesday marks the state's second and final phase of voting (the third phase in India), with a greater emphasis on local than on national factors. In contrast to the very low-key campaigning that preceded the first round of votes on April 26, the second round has been a highly publicized affair due to a purported sex abuse scandal involving BJP ally Prajwal Revanna of the Janata Dal (Secular) that erupted in the meantime. Prajwal is a party MP and contender. He is the grandson of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda.