Dharwad: Preparations are in full swing for the state legislative council election from the West graduates’ constituency, with polling scheduled for Oct 23 from 8am to 4pm.The constituency comprises Dharwad, Haveri, Gadag and Uttara Kannada districts. A total of 14 candidates are in the fray, and 97,398 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise at 137 polling stations across the four districts, returning officer and regional commissioner KM Janaki said.The candidates include Congress nominee Mohan Limbikai, BJP candidate SV Sankanur and 12 independents: Nishanth Bankapur, Mallikarjun Channappa Gangadhar, Shivakumar Talwar, Kanthakumar, Basavaraj Kotagi, Jishan Ahmadkhan Pathan, Santosh Vernekar, Umesh Daivajna, Krishna, Jishan Sirsangi, Abdul Munnan and one other candidate.Sankanur is seeking a third consecutive term, with the BJP keen to retain the seat. Congress, which lost the seat in 2008, is looking to regain it.Limbikai’s candidature also has political significance beyond the current contest. He won the seat in 2008 as a BJP candidate, defeating Congress veteran HK Patil. Following the setback, HK Patil returned to his home district, Gadag, to find his political fortune as an MLA.Seventeen years later, Limbikai is back in the electoral battle as a Congress candidate, with HK Patil leading the campaign from the front. The political reunion underlines how electoral equations and political loyalties can change with time.The entry of Akhila Karnataka Students Association president Kanthkumar into the fray has emerged as a concern for both Congress and BJP candidates because of the potential to split votes and alter the electoral outcome. If Kanthkumar draws a significant share of votes that would otherwise have gone to the Congress candidate, he could indirectly strengthen the BJP’s prospects, and vice versa. In a closely contested election, even a modest shift in vote share could prove decisive, making Kanthkumar a potential spoiler whose electoral impact could determine which of the two major parties gains the upper hand.Votes will be counted at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad on Oct 27.The state govt has announced special leave for registered voters on Oct 23 so they can exercise their franchise.
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