Bengaluru: Curtains came down last evening on the public campaigning for the May 12 election to 223 seats of Karnataka Assembly after hectic canvassing.

However, candidates can campaign by visiting door-to-door. Only 10 persons including the candidate can campaign.

It is 223 Constituencies as polling for Jayanagar seat in Bengaluru was countermanded following the death of sitting MLA and BJP candidate B.N. Vijaya Kumar.

The State witnessed a high-voltage campaign as national leaders of both Congress and BJP took up whirlwind tours of every nook and corner to woo voters in favour of their party. The entire Union Council of Ministers of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government took up the campaign.

PM Narendra Modi, who launched mission ‘Congress Mukta Bharat,’ during his last leg of campaigning, verbally attacked AICC president Rahul Gandhi, personally as well, and Chief Minister Siddharamaiah terming him as ‘Sidda Rupaiah’ alleging that he was taking 10 per cent commission for every work.

Former External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, who joined BJP last year, was seen campaigning for the party candidates at the fag end. Modi, in one of the public meetings, chided Rahul Gandhi for stating that he will become the next Prime Minister if Congress wins majority in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The AICC President responded, “I will never attack Modi as he is the Prime Minister of the country.”

Union Minister for Finance Arun Jaitley and a very few BJP Central leaders, were missing from the campaigning. Jaitley’s absence was due to the health factor.

Gruelling campaign trail

For the BJP, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, also campaigned vigorously. However, following criticism by opposition,  he rushed back to his State as a natural disaster had claimed many lives. But he was back within days and continued his campaign.

Besides, drawing their national leaders for the campaign, State leaders including CM Siddharamaiah, Congress leader in the Lok Sabha M. Mallikarjuna Kharge, BJP Chief Ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa, among others sweated out to woo the voters.

BJP President Amit Shah, who was camping in Bengaluru, also campaigned vigorously by touring the State. However, after the tickets were announced, he avoided visiting Ballari in an attempt to give no room for Opposition to rake up the choice of the party fielding eight tainted candidates who included brothers of mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy.

While Amit Shah held a news conference on the last day of the campaign, Modi stuck to public meetings during his tour. PM Modi, who was flying back to the national capital after his last leg campaign, interacted with BJP women, youth workers both at State and Booth-level online.

Congress too did not lag behind and its former Union Ministers including former PM Manmohan Singh, former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, among others campaigned. While Manmohan Singh restricted himself to a news conference, senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi addressed her only public meeting at Vijayapura. Sonia Gandhi, who had collapsed during an election campaign at Varanasi, was out of campaigning for more than two years.

Leaders and workers alike had to sweat it out during the campaign as they had to withstand scorching heat conditions of the summer season. The PM experienced the power of mercury and he was seen wiping his face very frequently during his public meetings.

Janata Dal (Secular), did not lag behind in its attempt to bounce back to power. Both former Prime Minister and its National President H.D. Deve Gowda and his son former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy toured the State several times. Former UP Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party Chief Mayawati, who had fielded 20 candidates under alliance with JD(S), also campaigned.

Though there are more than 2,654 candidates in the fray, the direct fight is between Congress and BJP in many constituencies. Congress, which had won 120 seats in 2013, has fielded its candidates in 222 constituencies. The BJP has fielded its candidates for all the 224 seats.