The CM has won the past two elections from Varuna, but this time, former mentor Deve Gowda dared him to contest from his old seat, Chamundeshwari.
Mysuru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah is under intense pressure from within the Congress to not turn his back on his current constituency, from where he won the 2008 and 2013 elections, just to take on a challenge thrown at him by his previous party – the Janata Dal (Secular) of H.D. Deve Gowda.
Karnataka is set to go to the polls on 12 May, an election that will see the Congress defend one of its few remaining strongholds ahead of the 2019 general election. Currently the assembly representative for Varuna, the CM will contest from his old constituency, Chamundeshwari, in the election.
Siddaramaiah won his maiden assembly election as an independent from Chamundeshwari in 1983. In all, he has won five elections from here and lost two. He moved to Varuna in 2008, after winning the 2006 Chamundeshwari bypoll by a slim margin following his shift to the Congress.
But as this election season kicked in, Deve Gowda, Siddaramaiah’s mentor-turned-foe, and his son H.D. Kumaraswamy dared the CM to contest from Chamundeshwari, against the CM’s former election agent and close associate, G.T. Deve Gowda of the JD(S).
Siddaramaiah accepted the challenge.
A sticky wicket
One of the reasons for Siddaramaiah’s confidence in taking on the challenge is that though the Vokkaligas, the community to which Gowda belongs, comprise a big chunk of the constituency’s population, roughly 33 per cent, other communities form the majority.
The population of the Kurubas or shepherds, Siddaramaiah’s community, and the Dalits forms an equally strong bloc as the Vokkaligas. And then there are the Muslims and the OBCs.
The JD(S) has repeatedly dismissed Siddaramaiah’s prospects of victory in Chamundeshwari. But voters are not so quick to rule him out. Several constituents said they would stand by G.T. Deve Gowda, but the response was overwhelming at several places when Siddaramaiah arrived here for a campaign visit, amid talk about “the good old days” and old acquaintances.
“The Congress has done a lot for us in our area. They have given us amenities. Now, they are also providing us with foodgrains. It is the party that was worked for us. Indira Gandhi has done this for us,’’ said Maniamma from Kotehundi village, around 20 km from Mysuru city.
“Siddaramaiah has given us anna (rice),” added 90-year-old Putkosamma. “He has given us Rs 800 as pension, he has done a lot.”
Their neighbour Murugopamma doesn’t share the enthusiasm, but is yet to make up her mind. “Let us see what he has to offer,” she added.
Local Congress leader C. Mahadev said it would be wrong to undermine Siddaramaiah’s chances of winning Chamundeshwari. “Siddaramaiah has won from this constituency. It’s not difficult to imagine victory when it is the CM who is contesting,” he added.
‘Son of the soil’
Siddaramaiah’s connect with Chamundeshwari is visible at once as one observes the CM meeting locals, identifying several by name. When he announced his decision to contest what he says will be his last election from here, he cited the “political strength” he had derived from the constituency, painting the move in symbolism.
But several voters bear a grudge against him for not staying with H.D. Deve Gowda, and “doing wrong by the Vokkaligas”. They accuse him of fomenting caste divisions by favouring the Kurubas, as well as the Lingayats, for whom his government has sought the status of an independent religion.
“He had a lot of opportunities to help the Vokkaliga community. He forgot his duties towards us,” said Gangadhar Gowda, a local politician. “Earlier, 50 per cent of the people knew he won’t do anything for the community, now everybody knows. People will end his career in Chamundeshwari.”
In fact, it is clear that the fight is far from easy for the CM as one moves into areas dominated by the Vokkaligas.
“G.T. Deve Gowda has done work here for us. When we petition him, he gets our work done,” said Poornima of Koorgalli village, a bastion of the incumbent MLA. “The chief minister has launched ‘Anna Bhagya’ and other schemes, but we have only heard about them. They have not reached us,’’ she added.
A fellow resident, Gauramma, said she was a supporter of G.T. Deve Gowda, adding that the CM’s schemes were not enough to win them over. “We support G.T. Deve Gowda as he has been betrayed by Siddaramaiah. He worked so hard for him but got nothing in return,” she said. “I agree that the CM has given us food grains, but he has to win our hearts too.”
G.T. Deve Gowda said the election would be tough for Siddaramaiah. “People vote not only for programmes; they will also vote for a man who keeps their society together and does not divide it.”
“Vokkaliga voters have been consolidating across the state. They want Kumaraswamy as the CM, just as the Kurubas consolidated their vote for Siddaramaiah.”
Doubts in the party
It goes without saying that this election is crucial for Siddaramaiah as well as the Congress, which is looking to beat the BJP here to inject energy in its campaign for 2019.
In this atmosphere, some leaders within the party have seen as unnecessary the CM’s decision to invest four days in campaigning in Chamundeshwari when a win from Varuna was a given.
They feel he could have utilised his time better and focused on campaigning for the party in the rest of the state.
Efforts, it is said, are underway to change his mind. It is believed a nudge from the Congress brass might convince him to stick to Varuna, with Plan B being fielding the leader from a second, safe, constituency, possibly Badami in north Karnataka.
Siddaramaiah agrees that the contest would not be a walkover for him, but is far from fazed. Talking to ThePrint after a day of hectic meetings and campaigning, he said: “The BJP and the JD(S) put together are not a match for the Congress.”
Asked about doubts within his own party, he said his decision was final. “I have decided to contest from this constituency, even though some leaders wanted me to contest from north Karnataka. People here love me and have asked me to contest from here,” he said.
Siddaramaiah has to be defeated! But the coward will probably contest from another seat!