Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: BJP faces stiff resistance from Congress and JD(S) in battle to retain Chikamagalur

Karnataka Assembly Elections: All eyes will be on the Chikamagalur seat as Bharatiya Janata Party’s National General Secretary CT Ravi vies to maintain his unbeaten streak since the 2004 Assembly polls. The constituency, which is a part of Udupi Chikamagalur Lok Sabha seat, has around 210000 eligible electors who will be voting on May 10.

Chikamagalur – one of the key constituencies among 224 seats in Karnataka Assembly polls 2023 – is also important for the BJP as it has been a stronghold of the saffron party for nearly 20 years.  

Chikmagalur constituency: BJP vs Congress vs JD(S) 

BJP’s CT Ravi won the Chikamagalur seat defeating a rival Congress candidate by a margin of 26,3414 votes in the 2018 Karnataka Assembly Election. Indian National Congress’ Shankar BL was second in the race by 44,549 votes.  

The Chikamagalur Assembly constituency recorded an 82.2 per cent voter turnout in the previous Karnataka assembly election 

Chikamagalur constituency: Key Candidates 

In the upcoming Assembly polls, Chikamagalur is expected to witness a tough battle between BJP’s strongman CT Ravi who is in the fray against Congress candidate HD Thammaiah and JD(S)’ BM Thimma Shetty.  

Chikamagalur constituency: Other parties and individual candidate 

The following is the list of candidates who will contest from Chikamagalur constituency, according to the Election Commission website: 

- Khajamohiddin Gudageri from Indian Movement Party 

- Shiva Prakash From Karnataka Rashtra Samithi 

- Eregowda MP from Aam Aadmi Party 

- Yathish BJ from Uttama Prajaakeeya Party 

- Sudha KB from Bahujan Samaj Party 

- Muniyappa - Independent 

- Shashidhara BG - Independent 

- Afzal Pasha - Independent 

- HC Mullappa Shetty - Independent 

- Muniyappa - Independent 

- MG Vijay Kumar - Independent 

- C.K. Jagadeesha - Independent  

- Mohsina from Independent 

- Syed Zabi - Independent  

- Noorulla Khan - Independent  

Karnataka Election 2023: Background and full schedule  

The Karnataka Election 2023 to elect members of the Karnataka Assembly are scheduled for May 10. The result will be announced on May 13, 2023. 

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly's term will expire on May 24, 2023. The state elections earlier were held in May of 2018.  

Back then, the state government was first formed by the single-largest-party BJP under BS Yediyurappa - which couldn't stand the floor test in Assembly and lasted only a week.  

This followed a coalition government between Janata Dal (Secular) and the Indian National Congress, with HD Kumaraswamy as Chief Minister, which lasted 14 months before Yediyurappa and BJP returned to power in southern state.