Village meeting hall with portrait of B R Ambedkar, Rottigod Village, Dharwad district, Karnataka.
In Pics: From Karnataka Ground Zero
This election season, Karnataka is a cauldron of heated political contests, with a spectrum of issues making the state one where both the INDIA and the NDA look to gain significant political advantage. From marginalised residents of Rottigawad fighting lack of basic amenities and facing discrimination by the Lingayat residents of the village, to the people rising in protest against Prajwal Revanna's sexual abuse allegations, to the nucleus of Hubballi-Dharwad, where religious polarisation stands once again at the forefront, Karnataka is home to numerous electoral questions and eye-opening realities that continue to plague the very grassroots.
Sitting BJP MP and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi's campaigning in rural Dharwad, Karnataka
Congress campaign rally in the old city of Hubli, with the Dargah Fateh Ali Shah in the background
The BJP is looking to recreate its 2019 sweep, when it won all seats, but the Congress is pulling out all stops to make gains in this region. Congress rally, Hubli City.
In this file photo Protestors affiliated with various Hindu organizations wave flags and shout slogans during a demonstration against the killing of Kanhaiya Lal on June 29, 2022 in Bengaluru. The beheading of Kanhaiya Lal, 48, a tailor in the western Indian city of Udaipur by two Muslim men in retaliation for his support of controversial remarks made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician Nupur Sharma on the Prophet Muhammad, has sparked religious tension with suspension of internet services and the barring of large gatherings on the streets of the desert city.
In this file photo Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna after attending the first budget session of the 17th Lok Sabha, at Parliament House, on June 26, 2019 in New Delhi.
Sitting BJP MP and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Prahlad Joshi with a Hindu Seer at Mutt in rural Dharwadi, Karnataka during his campaigning for the upcoming parliamentary elections.