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New Delhi:

Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pralhad Joshi will contest from the Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka for a fifth straight term.

The Dharwad Lok Sabha Constituency has been a BJP stronghold since 1996. Previously held by Congress from 1980 to 1996, BJP’s Vijay Sankeshwar won the seat in 1996, breaking Congress’ winning streak. Since then, BJP has retained the seat, with Pralhad Joshi securing victory between 2004 and 2019.

Here are five facts about Pralhad Joshi:

1. Pralhad Joshi is currently the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister and he also holds the portfolio of coal.
2. He was born on November 27, 1962, in Vijayapura, Karnataka, to Venkatesh Joshi and Malatibai. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from KS Arts College in Hubli. Mr Joshi was a businessman before joining politics.
3. Mr Joshi ventured into politics by leading movements such as hoisting the national flag at Idagah Maidan and the “Save Kashmir Movement” in Hubli from 1992 to 1994. This earned him recognition in the region, and later he became the president of BJP’s Dharwad district unit.
4. The four-time MP contested his first Lok Sabha election in 2004, winning the Dharwad constituency by defeating BS Patil of the Congress by 83,078 votes. In 2009, he won his second term by defeating Kannur Manjunath Channappa of Congress with 1,37,663 votes. In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls he also retained the seat.
5. Pralhad Joshi also served as the State President of BJP Karnataka from 2014 to 2016.