Podcast | Karnataka Polls 2018: Following the campaign trail before the state goes to polls on May 12

The country's attention has been lately focused on the upcoming Karnataka assembly election scheduled on May 12. With just two days remaining for the polling, the intense campaign in Karnataka has reached its climax in the state.

According to the Election Commission’s guidelines, the campaigning has ended at 5:00 pm today. Election campaigns are supposed to end 48 hours before the polling begins.

These elections are very crucial in forming a narrative leading up to the general elections in 2019. The past few months have seen relentless campaigns by the major political parties in the state. The leaders are trying to play all their cards right to please as many groups of voters as possible.

Here is a quick guide to the last few stops on the campaign for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah.

In an attempt to woo voters, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress went all out and attacked each other on social media, just as much as they were doing in rallies and roadshows.

Social media played an important part in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that saw Narendra Modi and the BJP win big. With increased internet connectivity and smartphone usage, social media is being leveraged to the maximum during campaigning.

Catch the latest news, views and analysis on Karnataka Assembly Elections 2018