Karnataka ByPolls Turn Into A Vote For Credibility For CM

The bypolls to the three assembly constituencies of Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur in Karnataka on November 13 ,have become crucial for the ruling Congress under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and the Opposition combine of the BJP and JD-S.

On the face of it, the battle for the Congress has become critical as it is plagued with a host of allegations when it comes to corruption,starting with the controversial land allotment for Siddaramaiah’s wife in Mysuru .

This does not augur well for the ruling party as it comes on the back of the Rs 90 crore scam involving the Maharishi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation ,leading to B Nagendra, the minister concerned, coming under the Enforcement Directorate’s scanner. These are but two of the many allegations of corruption that the ruling Congress is finding it difficult to fight against in the bye-elections.

Nevertheless ,the fact remains that while for the Congress the results of the bypolls will not have any impact, in terms of numbers in the state assembly, a defeat in even one constituency will mar its image. To that extent, the party is leaving no stone unturned to win the bypolls at any cost ,if only to prove that it enjoys the confidence of its voters.

Having said that, the fact remains that between the three constituencies, the Congress is putting all its might in winning the prestigious Channapatna assembly seat, one which was vacated by Union Industry’s minister and JD-S leader, H.D .Kumaraswamy.

Considered a stronghold of the Vokaliggas, the JD-S-BJP combine has put up Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil,in the desperate belief that he will give a tough fight to former BJP leader turned Congress candidate, C.P.Yogeshwara.

Channapatna ,significantly, falls under Rural Bengaluru, a Parliamentary constituency from which D .K. Suresh, Deputy Chief Minister, D.K.Shivakumar’s brother , lost in the just concluded Lok Sabha polls.

The loss came as a major blow to the brothers as they consider themselves as the unrecognised kings here, more so as Suresh had managed to retain his seat three times before losing to rookie politician ,Dr .C Manjunath, former Prime Minister, Deve Gowda’s son- in law. The doctor was put up as a compromise candidate by the BJP.

This loss punctured the confidence of the powerful brothers ,especially Shivakumar, who had not been able to stomach the defeat. Predictably, therefore, the brothers ,along with their party, are not leaving anything to chance ,with the fond hope that Chennapatna will help them save face. This explains why the battle of the Vokkaligas here has become more important than the polls in Sandur and Shiggaon.

Significantly, the same determination is being exhibited by the Gowda family which has pulled out all stops to ensure Nikhil’s win, considering that he has been a repeated loser in the assembly and Parliamentary elections held earlier.

This explains why Deve Gowda made it a point to address joint rallies with former Chief Minister and BJP leader, B.S.Yeddyurappa, this time while campaigning for his grandson. Needless to say, the clout exercised by the 92 year old Gowda in this Vokkaliga belt, comprising nearly two lakh voters,remains unmatched, forcing the Congress to redouble its effort to pip Nikhil Kumaraswamy to the post.

Yogeshwara ,a former actor, on his part ,remains confident that come what may, he would be able to embarrass the Gowda family this time, an ambition that he shares with Shivakumar and Suresh of the Congress. To that extent , it is the Channapatna contest which is overshadowing the Shiggaon and Sandur bypolls this time, even though the two constituencies also have their importance. More so, as the three parties are determined to make a clean sweep.

The Shiggaon constituency in North Karnataka from where Bharat Bommai, former BJP chief minister,Basavaraj Bommai’s son, is contesting, assumes importance for the BJP as it seeks to retain the seat. This is Bommai’s home turf even though Bharat has been a reluctant debutante here. More so as his father had earlier maintained that his son would not contest the polls.

Incidentally, it was not smooth sailing initially for the Congress. One of the rebel candidates S. Khadri had refused to back down when denied a ticket by the party. In fact, he had even filed his nomination as an Independent but Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah assured him a promising future in the party and persuaded him to withdraw. Y. Pathan of the Congress will now clash with Bharat in the November 13 polls from Shiggaon

In Sandur, an important constituency in the mining belt of Ballari, the fight will also be interesting in that the controversial BJP leader ,Janardan Reddy and his relative Sriramulu, are backingBJP’s Bangara Hanumantha. The mining baron and his relative Sriramulu wield considerable power here, something which the party hopes to capitalise.

The Congress candidate, E.Annapoorna, wife of Congress MP, E.Tukaram , will seek to upset Hanumanth who has the support of the BJP heavyweights. Annapoorna is confident that the constituency will provide the much needed support and backing to Siddaramaiah while helping him push his guarantee schemes for the welfare of the state.

Not surprisingly, she has been emphasising the party’s development agenda while highlighting the work done by her husband Tukaram, something that the BJP candidate has been contesting.

Sandur is recognised as a Congress stronghold even though Hanumantha believes that the backing of Janardan Reddy would provide the needed impetus to the voters considering that he is held in high regard in the constituency. Eitherway the fight could prove to be a close one here.

The stakes are high for the Congress party in the state.Siddaramaiah and the Congress are fighting to establish their credibility given the growing charges of corruption.

The dramatic “ turnabout’ made by Siddaramaiah and the family of Mallikarjun Kharge on the controversial sites that were allotted to them,whether it be in the Mysore Urban Development Corporation (MUDA) or for the Kharge family’s trust near the IT city, has left the party’s workers feeling uncomfortable.

While proclaiming their confidence in public about the “clean image of their leaders” many party workers admit in private that the sudden decision of the families concerned to return the controversial sites, after defending their positions, does not augur well for the Congress.

If this is not enough, the recent controversy over the alleged attempt by the Waqf board to “usurp” farmers' lands has not gone down well with the public. Despite the strong rebuttal of charges that the party was “appeasing the minorities” Siddaramaiah’s decision to withdraw the notices served on the farmers by the state’s revenue officials regarding their threatened land has only added to the public ‘s concern.

Therefore, while a favourable outcome of the three bypolls would be crucial for the parties concerned, the Congress, in particular, would definitely treat it as a “ vote of credibility” for the CM. More so, his repeated claims that in his over four decades of political career, he has remained untainted.

The BJP and the JD-S would only be too happy with a favourable outcome, as they would get the much needed mileage to embarrass the ruling party further. Not surprisingly, therefore, despite the confidence displayed by the Congress party, its leaders remain on tenterhooks . For now.