Will Prabha Mallikarjun Break BJP Political Fortress In Davanagere?Dr Prabha Mallikarjun has been given a Congress ticket to run for the 18th Lok Sabha elections from the Davanagere constituency in Karnataka. The constituency will exercise its franchise in the second phase on April 26, 2024.
With total family assets worth Rs 241.28, Dr Prabha Mallikarjun is one of the richest candidates of Congress from Karnataka. She is the daughter-in-law of the president of Akhila Bharata Veershaiva-Lingayat Mahasabha and Congress MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa. Prabha has a Medical (Dental) degree and is a life trustee at SS Care Trust and a governing council member of the Bapuji Educational Association.
Since 1999, the Davanagere Lok Sabha seat has been a fortress of the BJP. This year, following the Congress trail of nominating a women candidate, the BJP has nominated Gayathri Mallikarjun, wife of sitting MP G.M. Siddeshwar from the Davanagere constituency. Siddheshwar has represented the seat here from 2004 till 2019. However, as per the local reports the win will be difficult for the Gayathri Mallikarjun.
Davanagere Lok Sabha constituency comprises Jagalur, Harapanahalli, Harihar, Davanagree South, Davanagere North, Mayakonda, Channagiri and Honnali. In the last assembly elections in 2023, INC won 6 out of 8 seats, 1 by Ind and 1 by the BJP. In 2019, the BJP won 54.66 percent votes while the INC candidate won 40.46 percent votes.
Davanagere is a general category parliament seat with a 67.26% literacy rate. The constituency has SC, ST, and Muslim population percentages of 20.21%, 12%, and 13.66% respectively.
Phase-wise constituency distribution in Karnataka
Phase 2 – April 26, 2024: Udupi Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkballapur and Kolar
Phase 3 – May 7, 2024: Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga