Can BJP retain its stronghold in Lingayat-dominated north Karnataka?

Karnataka in 2018 is being seen as a mirror crack, with different parts of the state expected to vote differently.

North Karnataka in a sense represents the faultlines in the state.

Can the Bharatiya Janata Party retain its citadel in north Karnataka, a region populated by Lingayats, or will the Congress beat anti-incumbency and once again come to power?