Children of two former chief ministers will be in the contest for the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat, with BJP on Wednesday fielding its sitting MP and veteran BJP leader B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra.

Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena said on Wednesday that the focus is to have an "inducement-free" Lok Sabha elections in the state with strict vigilance on "star campaigners" and ensure a level playing field in the entire process.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is all set to make his debut in the Lok Sabha polls, almost a year after the BJP fared poorly in the assembly polls held when he was at the helm.

Deputy Commissioner Sathyabhama C ordered a temporary closure of the Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway stretch in the district as a precautionary measure against mishaps, as a gas tanker overturned on the road in the Shiradi Ghat area on Wednesday, resulting in a gas leak too.

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa expressed faith in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Parliamentary Board member BS Yediyurappa ensuring his son Kanthesh was selected as the party candidate from Haveri constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kickstart the BJP's Lok Sabha poll campaign in Karnataka by addressing a public meeting in Kalaburagi on March 16, the party's state general secretary V Sunil Kumar said on Wednesday.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday appointed five Cabinet Ministers as Government spokespersons to project the achievements of his administration.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case has detained a man from Ballari district, sources said on Wednesday.