Lok Sabha elections 2024: 5 things to know about Pralhad Joshi, the BJP candidate from Dharwad

New Delhi:

Union minister and senior BJP leader Pralhad Joshi will contest for a fifth consecutive term from Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka.

Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency has been a stronghold of the BJP since 1996. The constituency was controlled by the Congress party from 1980 to 1996. Vijay Sankeshwar of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the constituency in 1996, breaking the Congress party’s winning streak. The BJP has since retained the seat, with Pralhad Joshi winning from 2004 to 2019.

Here are five facts about Pralhad Joshi:

1. Pralhad Joshi is currently the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and is also in charge of coal affairs.
2. He was born on November 27, 1962 in Vijayapura, Karnataka, to Venkatesh Joshi and Malatibai. He holds a BA from KS College of Arts, Hubli. Mr. Joshi was a businessman before entering politics.
3. Mr. Joshi entered politics and led campaigns such as the flag hoisting at Idagah Maidan and the Save Kashmir Movement in Hubli between 1992 and 1994. This earned him recognition in the region and he later became the president of the Dharwad district unit of the BJP.
4. The four-time MP contested his first Lok Sabha election in 2004 and won the Dharwad constituency by defeating Congress’ BS Patil by 83,078 votes. In 2009, he won a second term defeating Congress MP Kannur Manjunath Channappa by 1,37,663 votes. He retained his seat in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls as well.
5. Pralhad Joshi also served as the Karnataka state president of the Bharatiya Janata Party from 2014 to 2016.