The Hubballi Dharwad Central constituency is set to witness an interesting fight between Mahesh Tenginkai of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Jagadish Shettar of INC in the upcoming Karnataka elections. Others in the fray are Siddalingesh Gowda Mahanthavadeyar of the JD(S) and Vikas Soppin of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Voting will be held on May 10, and counting on May 13. The winning party must have 113 seats, out of 224 seats to form the government.
BJP's turncoat and former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar's reputation is on the line this time. He has filed nomination as the Congress candidate.
Focus on development
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development initiatives in Hubballi-Dharwad on March 12, 2023. Modi dedicated IIT Dharwad to the nation. Earlier in February 2019, the PM had laid the foundation stone of the institute. Developed at a cost of over Rs 850 crore, IIT Dharwad currently offers a four-year B. Tech program, an interdisciplinary five-year BS-MS program, M. Tech and Ph.D. programs, according to reports.
Hubballi Dharwad is looking to become a major trade, business, and commercial centre in the southern Deccan region. Thanks to the advantages of location, technology, infrastructure, skilled workforce, and innovative governance, the city is prioritising inclusive growth and citizen empowerment, according to reports.
Political conundrum
On April 11, Shettar held a press conference in which he said a senior party functionary asked him to drop his candidacy so that young people could run for office.
The Hubballi Dharwad Central constituency has given the state two chief ministers ― S.R. Bommai and Jagadish Shettar.
BJP has promised to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). As part of its five guarantees, the Congress President announced Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya, Yuva Nidhi, and Shakti for Karnataka's people.
Bommai and Shettar are in opposite camps now, just as they were in 1994. In 1994, Shettar fought against the former CM, S. R. Bommai's son, Basavaraj Bommai; this time he faces BJP functionary Mahesh Tenginkai. In Shettar's words, it's a fight for self-respect, but the BJP camp accuses him of "betrayal".
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