Karnataka is one of the most diverse states where seven languages are spoken: apart from Kannada, there is Telugu, Tamil, Tulu, Marathi, Konkani and Hindi. It shares its borders with the southern states, as well as Goa and Maharashtra. With Goa and Tamil Nadu it has river-sharing disputes, while netas from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are actively campaigning among the state’s Telugu-speakers.
The state is divided into six main regions. The
is so called because these are parts that were carved out of the old Bombay Presidency when states were reorganized on linguistic basis.
Here's a look at how the region voted in 2013.
The region is facing five major issues:
* Mahadayi river dispute
* Linguistic clashes
* Drought, farmer suicides
* Unemployment
* Sugarcane prices
Times Now-VMR survey
According to the Times Now-VMR survey, chief minister Siddaramaiah's decision to grant minority status to the Lingayat community doesn't seems to have altered the mood completely, although some do believe it will affect BJP's chances. In this region, which is the hotbed of Lingayat politics, Congress has been given 21 seats while the BJP gets 23.
The Congress's decision to give separate religion status to Lingayats, therefore, seems to have queered BJP's Lingayat pitch somewhat. Close to 40 percent of the people surveyed believe that Congress's "Lingayat Card" has influenced their vote.
Takeaway
* Lingayat masterstroke queers BJP's Lingayat pitch
Mutt hopping
Party chiefs of both the Congress and the BJP have aggressively been campaigning over the past few weeks. Along with wooing voters through rallies and roadshows, Rahul Gandhi and Amit Shah’s main focus is on meeting the the heads of various religious mutts and temples of almost every caste denomination - Lingayat + , Vokkaliga, Kuruba and others in between. Both leaders visited several mutts and temples in the Bombay Karnataka region.
