Dakshina Kannada (South Canara) is a coastal district in the southern state of Karnataka, covering an area of 4,859 square kilometers. It is bordered by the sea to the west, the Western Ghats to the east, Udupi district to the north and the state of Kerala to the south.
Mangaluru, the district headquarters of Dakshina Kannada, has emerged as an educational hub.There is a remarkable 21.8% Muslim population in Dakshina constituency, while SCs and STs account for 7.1% and 3.9% respectively.
See also: Lok Sabha election results
Lok Sabha elections
Assembly elections
Last updated June 4 at 4:15 p.m.
Polling in Dakshina Kannada was held on April 26 in phase 2. The turnout recorded by the ECI was 77.56% while in 2019, it was 77.99%.
Candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Former Indian Army captain Captain Brijesh Chowta of the BJP is contesting against R Padmaraj of the Congress, who is a practicing lawyer. The BJP first won this seat in 1991 and has since held it for eight consecutive terms.
Despite the BJP’s defeat in the state in the 2023 elections, it held strong in Dakshina Kannada, largely due to the enduring popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The influence of the “Modi factor” remains significant in the Lok Sabha elections. Hindutva-related issues, such as the construction of the Ram Mandir and concerns over Love Jihad, have resonated strongly with the Hindu electorate in the region.
See also: Karnataka Lok Sabha election results
Candidates
2019 Lok Sabha Election Results
In the 2019 elections, Nalin Kumar Kateel, representing the BJP, emerged victorious in the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha seat with 774,285 votes. His closest rival, Mithun Rai of the Congress party, got 499,664 votes, while SDPI candidate Ilyas Mohammed Thumbe got 46,839 votes. The overall voter turnout in Dakshina Kannada was recorded at 77.90%.
2014 Lok Sabha Election Results
In the 2014 elections, Kateel had also triumphed, defeating Congress candidate Janardhan Poojary by 642,739 votes. Poojary got 499,030 votes in this contest. Voter turnout in 2014 was 76.74%. Additionally, the Social Democratic Party of India received 2.3% of the vote, placing third in this election.
