Election to be fought on nationalism, development, not caste: Union minister Pralhad Joshi

Dharwad (Karnataka) [India], April 8 (ANI): Union minister and Dharwad BJP Lok Sabha candidate Pralhad Joshi on Monday said that the election is going to be fought on the basis of nationalism and development and not on caste. He was reacting after Fakir Dingaleshwar Mahaswami of Shirahatti Fakireshwar Math announced his candidature as an independent against him.
"This is not a caste-based election. It is going to be fought on nationalism, performance and developmental works. So caste is nothing to do in this election," Pralhad Joshi told ANI.
Dingaleshwar Swami has come to the electoral fray after he and his followers accused Pralhad Joshi of suppressing Lingayat and other leaders.
"I have stated already that there is nothing to tell in this issue. This election is being conducted democratically. You can notice how our country was before Narendra Modi came to power and how it is now," the Union minister said.
He said this election is for the people to choose between the NDA led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the INDIA alliance.
"We have become the world's fifth largest economy and are going to become the third. Many burning issues are in the process of being solved. This election is to choose NDA with the leadership of Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi's I.N.D.I alliance," he said.
"I am going to voters with this and the developmental projects done in my constituency. This election is between Modi and the rest of the Opposition leaders with national issues being the decisive factor. Whatever allegations he (Dingaleshwar Swami ) has raised against me are a blessing. Whatever allegation he had made will be answered by party spokespersons. I am not going to tell you more than this," he added.
Karnataka, which has 28 Lok Sabha seats, will vote in two phases on April 26 and May 7.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress and JD-S fought together against the BJP and the combine was decimated. The BJP had won a record 25 seats; Congress and JD-S won just one seat each. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 17 seats, while the Indian National Congress (INC) won 9, and the Janata Dal (Secular) two seats.
The Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be held in seven phases, starting on April 19. The counting of votes is on June 4. (ANI)