evidence: 30 out of BJP's 54 seats are in Bombay-Karnataka and Central Karnataka, a region where the Lingayat community often decides the political landscape. The politically powerful community leans towards the BJP - largely drawn to the party through its leader BS Yediyurappa. The BJP government has attempted to counteract Yediyurappa's waning influence within the party with a move to increase reservations for the Lingayat community. [...] All 10 of the JD(S)'s safe seats are in Southern Karnataka, where the HD Deve Gowda family continues to hold sway over the numerically-strong Vokkaliga community. For the BJP, its stronghold is spread across Coastal Karnataka, where it has an edge due to a strong party structure that is intertwined with the Sangh Parivar; in Bombay-Karnataka, where the Lingayat community generally vote for the party; and Bengaluru. The Congress's strongholds are roughly evenly spread across the state, except for Coastal Karnataka, where it managed to win just three out of 21 seats in 2018. [...] Interestingly, the Bengaluru region, one of the fastest-growing cities in India whose reputation has been built on its dynamism, is one of the most electorally stagnant regions in the country. Here, just two seats flip between parties. 17 constituencies have become strongholds for the BJP and Congress - with strategists from both parties confident of retaining them.