After 17 rounds of counting, Congress candidate Shreyas M. Patel has taken a significant lead over JD(S) candidate Prajwal Revanna in the Hassan Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka. Patel leads by over 42,000 votes, putting him in a strong position to win the constituency. If Patel wins, it would mark the first time in 25 years that the Congress has held the seat. In 1999, Patel’s grandfather, G. Puttaswamy Gowda, defeated former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. The two families have been political rivals for five decades. Prajwal Revanna, who is currently in the custody of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Bengaluru on rape and sexual abuse charges, is contesting from the Hassan seat for the second time. In 2019, he won by a margin of 1.41 lakh votes against BJP candidate A. Manju. At that time, the JD(S) had an alliance with the Congress. This time, however, the JD(S) entered into an alliance with the BJP. A section of BJP leaders, including former Hassan MLA Preetham Gowda, opposed Prajwal Revanna’s nomination as the NDA candidate. Many supporters of Preetham Gowda openly campaigned for the Congress candidate. Prajwal Revanna also faced anti-incumbency as people in many places alleged that he hardly listened to their problems. Despite extensive campaigning by his grandfather, H.D. Deve Gowda, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Prajwal Revanna is facing an uphill battle. The emergence of obscene videos and photos purportedly related to him just days before the election has further damaged his reputation. Following allegations of sexual abuse, the government of Karnataka set up an SIT to probe the charges. Prajwal Revanna was arrested by the SIT police on May 31 on his return to India.
Prajwal Revanna Trails in Hassan Lok Sabha Seat Amid Rape Allegations
