Of the three Lok Sabha constituencies in the region, Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada have stood firmly behind the BJP while Udupi-Chikmagalur, barring a brief period, too has been loyal to the saffron party.

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The region slipped out of the Congress's grasp long ago, with the BJP triumphant in Dakshina Kannada in every poll since 1991 (as Mangalore till 2009) and sweeping every election in Uttara Kannada since 2004 through firebrand leader Anantkumar Hegde.

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This time, the Congress has been going all out to woo the voters in the region that supported them in the assembly polls. The BJP, though, is in no mood to relax their grip when it comes to the Lok Sabha elections, taking the anti-incumbency factor into account and replacing its three incumbent MP's.

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The image of Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel had taken a severe beating post murders of several activists of the Hindu organisations while the voters of Udupi-Chikmagalur had launched a 'go back' agitation against the sitting MP and Union minister Shobha Karandlaje for neglecting the constituency in the last ten years. Meanwhile, the state BJP leaders were not in favour of retaining Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde due to his controversial statements, especially on the Constitution.

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Captain Brijesh Chowta, a prominent Hindu activist, is BJP's choice in Dakshina Kannada while former speaker of the State Legislative Assembly Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri is the Uttara Kannada candidate. The opposition leader in the State Legislative Council, Kota Srinivasa Pujari, is their representative in Udupi-Chikmagalur.

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While Captain Chowta is new to politics, Pujari and Kageri are veterans. Pujari's clean image is the biggest advantage for the BJP in Udupi-Chikmagalur but Kageri seems to be in a spot of bother, with Hegde staying away from campaigning and the party not sure of winning the support of his die-hard followers.

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Attempting to breach the BJP fortress, the Congress has fielded Padmaraj Poojari, an advocate who is new to electoral politics, in Dakshina Kannada. He belongs to the dominant Billawa community which is in majority in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Obviously, the Congress is targeting votes from the community as well as from the Muslims to cause an upset.

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Fearful of a division among the Hindus, the BJP had organised a roadshow by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week in Mangaluru City to consolidate its position. With two new candidates in the fray, the verdict will be watched with keen interest.

A stiff battle is on in Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency between BJP's Kota Srinivasa Pujari and Congress's Jayaprakash Hegde.

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BJP is hamstrung by Karandlaje's poor image locally but Congress doesn't seem to be in a good position to take advantage, with Hegde having rejoined the party from BJP just a few days before the announcement of polls.

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In Uttara Kannada, Congress has fielded Dr Anjali Nimbalkar, who had lost the 2023 Assembly polls in Khanapur. BJP's Kageri, a nine-time MLA from Sirsi, too suffered a defeat in the assembly elections but he has the advantage of being a native of Uttara Kannada. The BJP would romp home if Hegde sets aside his disappointment and campaigns seriously for Kageri.