Karnataka Elections: Can opposition end BJP's winning streak at Chikkamagaluru assembly seat?

The southern state of Karnataka is preparing for its Assembly Elections on May 10, with counting scheduled for May 13. Political parties are actively campaigning through speeches, roadshows, and manifestos in order to garner voters' attention and support. All 224 assembly seats are important in deciding the ultimate outcome of the election.

One of the constituencies is Chikkamagaluru Assembly, which falls under the Udupi Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency. It consists of eight Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) segments namely Chikkamagaluru, Kundapura, Tarikere, Kapu, Mudigere, Udupi, Karkala, and Sringeri.

In 2018, C T Ravi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the seat by defeating Shankar B L of the Indian National Congress (INC) with a margin of 26,314 votes.

This year, the four time MLA, C T Ravi is seeking his re-election for his fifth term. The Chikkamagaluru constituency is expected to witness a fierce competition between the Congress and the BJP. The Congress has put forward a strong candidate in H D Thammaiah, who was previously associated with the BJP as an aide to C T Ravi before switching to the Congress.