Karnataka   

Lingayats hold the key here Key constituency: Holalkere

Chitradurga: Drinking water and irrigation are the major demands of people of Holalkere, one of the six constituencies of Chitradurga district.

Though over 80 per cent population are engaged in agriculture, the constituency is economically better than most as a considerable number of farmers are involved in commercial crop cultivation such as arecanut and coconut farming. According to the 2004 District Planning Report, the constituency has achieved a literacy rate 68.16 per cent. This is after Chitradurga which has registered 72.39 per cent literacy.

Despite other facilities, water has remained the cause of concern. Since arecanut and coconut need lots of water, the farmers have been demanding the inclusion of the constituency in Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project. The demand is gaining more significance owing to the depletion of ground water level. As far as drinking water is concerned, the people living in towns may soon get water as the ambitious Shanti Sagar Project is one the verge of completion.

With regard to politics, the consistency is witnessing a sharp political polarisation after the delimitation. Holalkere is now reserved for Schedule Castes from General. Following which, on the one hand many new aspirants for MLA seat are lobbying for the ticket. On the other, people of the constituency are in dilemma over selecting particular party or the candidate for voting. One of the main reasons of dilemma is believed to be the influx of “outsiders” who are lobbying for the ticket. Since the former MLA in the last Assembly and strongman of Congress A. V. Umapati has lost his constituency; people are yet decided on particular candidate to vote.

So far, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have announced their candidates.

The BJP has given ticket to B. Chandrappa, while the Congress has though announced the name of B. Tippeswamy, but since the former MLA H. Anjaneya is also lobbying for the ticket, the party is yet take its final decision. A similar conflict is prevailing in the Janata Dal (Secular). Here, the former Minister D. Manjunath is pressuring the high command to issue ticket to his son, while the former Congress MLA Devendra Nayak who joined the Janata Dal (Secular), is said to be the strong aspirant.

Since all the aspirants virtually have no local connection, the voters are in confused state to choose one candidate. Thus, a possibility of division of votes is expected. Nevertheless, one aspect is certain, whichever candidate gets a large number of votes of Lingayats, who are over 60 per cent, would win the seat.

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