Pralhad Joshi seeks fifth term as MP from Dharwad, faces challenge from young Congress candidate

Dharwad (Karnataka) [India], May 6 (ANI): Union Minister Pralhad Joshi is seeking his fifth term as an MP in the electoral battle here with the task having become seemingly easier with Lingayat seer Dingaleshwar Swami exiting the electoral race. However, the Congress has put up a candidate taking into account the caste combinations and the seat is witnessing a contest.
The assembly seats in Dharwad are almost evenly split between the BJP and Congress. The seat has a significant presence of the Lingayat community.
Congress candidate Vinod Asooti. 34, is banking on the party's guarantees which have received positive response from beneficiaries, especially women. This is the first Lok Sabha election for Asooti. Joshi has been talking of the work done by him as also of the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Dharwad is among the 14 constituencies that will go to the polls in the third phase of assembly elections on Tuesday. Polling was conducted on April 26 in 14 parliamentary constituencies of Karnataka during the second phase of the Lok Sabha election.
From 1980 to 1996, Dharwad seat was a Congress stronghold but BJP's Vijay Sankeshwar won the seat in 1996 and broke the Congress' winning streak. Since then, the BJP has retained the seat.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP's Prahlad Joshi received 6,84,837 votes (56.4 per cent) while the Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni came second with 4,79,765 votes (39.5 per cent). BSPs Irappa Bharamappa Madar 6,344 votes (0.5 per cent).
The campaign saw senior leaders of BJP and Congress seeking votes for their candidates.
BJP Nadda held a roadshow in Dharwad on April 21 and highlighted the significant increase in funding for Karnataka by the party-led government. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also held a roadshow in the constituency.
All 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka are witnessing contests with both BJP and ruling Congress in the state making strong efforts. While the BJP is seeking to repeat its 2019 performance across 28 seats in the state, the Congress is hoping that it will have momentum due to its victory in assembly polls last year and the "guarantees" it has launched.
The third phase of polling for Lok Sabha elections on Tuesday involves some key seats whose outcome will have direct bearing on future of political families involved with the contest to form the next government at the Centre also crossing the half-way mark in terms of the seats covered.
(ANI)