By M.K. Ashoka
Bengaluru, April 15 (IANS) Former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who is leading the JD(S) from the front and is countering the campaign blitzkrieg of the Congress and the BJP, is facing stiff competition in Channapatna constituency.
The constituency is set to witness a close fight between Kumaraswamy and BJP leader C.P. Yogeshwara. Channapatna was represented by Yogeshwara in 1999. Later, he won the seat as a Congress candidate in the 2004 and 2008 assembly elections.
After joining the BJP during ‘Operation Lotus’, he lost the by-election in 2009 against JD (S) candidate Ashwath M.C. He managed to win back the seat in the 2011 bypoll as a BJP candidate. In 2013, he contested from the Samajwadi Party (SP) and won against Kumaraswamy’s wife Anita Kumaraswamy. He got 80,099 votes while Anita polled 73,635 votes.
In the 2018 assembly elections Yogeshwara contesting as a BJP candidate, was defeated by Kumaraswamy. Yogeshwara managed to get 66,465 votes and Kumarswamy polled 87,995 votes. Sources said that Kumaraswamy chooses to contest from Channapatna to end the political career of Yogeshwara.
Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is contesting from the neighbouring Ramnagar constituency.
Channapatna constituency comprises 31 wards of the city. The constituency has 2,17,606 voters. Muslims comprise 42.96 per cent of the voters and Hindus make up 55.66 per cent.
The fight has become a close contest with the BJP high command’s decision to focus on the old Mysuru region. Channapatna, which elected Congress candidates, has become a bastion of the JD (S). Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s family has taken it as a matter of prestige to win from here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have made repeated visits to south Karnataka and appealed to the voters to root out the JD (S), branding it as a party which practices dynastic politics. The party is planning to organize mega rallies and campaigns in the constituency in the coming days.
The results will tell how deep the saffron party has managed to put down roots in south Karnataka. With polarization of votes on the basis of religion following the hijab crisis and the call to boycott Muslim traders, Muslims are standing firmly with the JD (S). Kumaraswamy will attract a major chunk of Vokkaliga votes.
The task of Yogeshwara is to polarize all Hindu votes towards the BJP and keep the Vokkaliga votes intact. Knowing well the uphill task, Yogeshwara had started intense campaigning in the constituency a long time back.
Kumaraswamy is focusing on a state tour and declared that national parties will have to come to his door after the elections. Yogeshwara has proclaimed that he will win against Kumaraswamy.
–IANS
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