Food prices have been key to political survival in the past. Onion prices helped push out a government in 1980.
The BJP has taken out newspaper advertisements. "Who does Congress blame for rising prices? Except itself everybody. You included," they say.
A CONGRESS VICTORY?
But Congress believes that it can win Karnataka, a former bastion, with promises of political stability after four years of chaotic coalition governments involving the BJP and the smaller regional party Janata Dal (S).
Congress also has a track record of betting on vote banks of Muslims and lower castes, many of them poor farmers, that it feels will be immune to appeals of a more urban-centred BJP.
"I think price rises are an issue, but not the decisive issue," said S.M. Krishna, former Karnataka chief minister now helping run Congress's election bid.
A CNN-IBN-Deccan Herald-CSDS poll in April showed Congress could win. But polls have proved unreliable in the past.
Some economists say this inflation will just be a blip. A similar jump in prices last year proved temporary.
But rising prices are a global concern, as international commodities prices rise on speculation, surging demand in Asia, bad weather and biofuel. India also suffers from years of poor agricultural performance which have created supply bottlenecks.
In Ramanahalli, an hour's drive from Bangalore, villagers gathered around a Hindu temple and complained about prices, among other things such as land seizures by the state government and water shortages. But no one said they would vote for the BJP. Many waited directives from village leaders.
"Kitchen life is becoming very difficult," said Aruna Venkatesh, a 28-year-old villager. "When politicians come they try and give us assurances, but they never do anything."
But the BJP does not seek to win all voters. Just enough to win power, which comes down, it says, to a swing voters.
"We are looking for 4-5 percent of voters switching preferences because of this issue," said Jaitley.
