Stage set for Karnataka poll battle tomorrow

Bengaluru: Curtains came down on the high decibel campaigning for the Assembly polls in Karnataka on Monday evening, setting the stage for the mega ballot battle on May 10.

With the stakes being high this election, the major political parties in contention -- the BJP, Congress and JD(S) -- and their candidates have made a strong pitch seeking to boost their prospects at the hustings. In the intensity of the campaign, there were instances of leaders crossing the line of public discourse and indulging in personal attacks and abuses against each other.

The top guns of all the major political parties were on a campaign blitz across the state in the past few days. While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break the 38-year-old jinx and retain its southern citadel, the Congress wants to wrest power to give the party much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.