Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two visits to Shivamogga since January this year did not help the BJP retain its seats it had won in the 2018 elections. Of the seven seats in the district, the party could retain only three.
Mr. Modi was in Shivamogga on February 27 to inaugurate the airport at Sogane near Shivamogga. He addressed a huge rally on the day and it was dubbed as an election rally. Later, he addressed another rally at Ayanur on May 7. People of Shivamogga and neighbouring Chikkamagaluru and Davangere districts too attended the rally. Interestingly, the constituency where the PM addressed the rally, has been won by JD(S) candidate Sharada Puryanaik. She won against K.B. Ashok Naik of the BJP by a margin of 15,142 votes.
Home Minister Araga Jnanendra retained Tirthahalli seat by defeating his rival Kimmane Ratnakar by a margin of 12,241 votes. Rahul Gandhi of the Congress had campaigned for Mr. Kimmane Ratnakar in Tirthahalli. However, his campaign did not help him win.
