The Hindu : Karnataka News : They take on rivals, attempt to please voters

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Karnataka

Karnataka

They take on rivals, attempt to please voters

M. Raghuram, B.S. Ramesh and K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

While Yeddyurappa is hurt over parties ‘ganging up’ against him, Somashekar sports a satisfied smile

— Photos: K. Gopinathan and Sampath Kumar G.P.

For votes: Janata Dal (U) State president B. Somashekar interacting with a vendor at Kirugavulu village. (Right) Women campaigning for the BJP in Mahadevapura in Bangalore on Sunday.

MAHADEVAPURA: The BJP leader B.S. Yeddyurappa chose to taken on five former Chief Ministers on one issue — the so called “unholy nexus” between the forces opposed to him. It was a “deep-rooted political conspiracy” that the JD(S), Congress and Samajwadi Party have come out with to keep the BJP away from power.

Following him on his campaign trail in Mahadevapura, Krishnarajapuram and Byatarayanapura Assembly constituencies on Sunday, correspondents saw how Mr. Yeddyurappa used the public platform to express his hurt.

Expressing anger and anguish over the reported meeting of S.M. Krishna with H.D. Deve Gowda after the 2004 elections, Mr. Yeddyurappa said: “they colluded to keep away the largest single party out of power for 20 months which was nothing short of betrayal of democracy. I see the same elements colluding again in supporting S. Bangarappa in Shikaripur.”

Targeting the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Yeddyurappa said: “why did he enter into a political pact with me for forming a coalition government without consulting his father (Mr. Deve Gowda) and why he (Mr. Kumaraswamy) consulted his father when he decided to break the coalition.”

All these questions would have to be answered by the people who are going to vote, he added.

Expressing shock over the statement of the former Chief Ministers M. Veerappa Moily and S. Bangarappa that they wanted the sale of arrack to resume in the State, Mr. Yeddyurappa said the coalition government decided to ban arrack and lotteries in the State as a welfare measure. He said Mr. Moily, who is known for his administrative acumen, did not have the slightest idea of welfare measures. Interacting briefly with presspersons, Mr. Yeddyurappa said: “nobody can claim responsibility or credit for the actions of a Finance Minister in a government. The Finance Minister works closely with experts during budget preparation. If Mr. Kumaraswamy has claimed credit for the various financial benefits announced in the two State budgets he was displaying his ignorance on how finance ministers work.”

During his campaign in the three constituencies, Mr. Yeddyurappa kept on promising one thing prominently that was if he became Chief Minister he would send the officials to the doorsteps of the poor people to provide solutions to their problems. This particular promise unfailingly evoked loud applause.

Somashekar’s campaign

The babble of voices refuses to die down and it is business as usual for the villagers as candidate after candidate goes campaigning at the Kirugavalu “santhe” in Malavalli Assembly constituency.

The “santhe” held every Saturday is locally popular, and people from nearby Bannur, Talkad, Malavalli, Kirugavalu, Maddur and even Mandya flock to it. The fair this Saturday presented a golden opportunity to the Janata Dal (United) State president and its candidate from Malavalli, B. Somashekar, to interact with the people.

Accompanied by representatives of all major communities in the constituency —Kurubas, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Muslims and even Lingayats — Mr. Somashekar briskly walks down the Mysore-Kirugavalu road and adjoining bylanes, where the fair is being held, and seeks votes.

Here is a rural supermarket where the villagers can buy anything. Vegetables and fruits are fresh and their prices a fraction of what it is in Mysore city, just 30 km away.

While some of the sellers, who are acquainted with Mr. Somashekar get up and fold their hands in respect, others smile and promise him their votes.

Even as Mr. Somashekar moves ahead distributing a one-page pamphlet, an old woman buttonholes a supporter and demands money if he wants her vote.

Mr. Somashekar who overhears the woman turns back and tells her that he is prepared to help her, but not with money.

The chastened woman, who has by now become the centre of attention, sinks back on to her haunches and turns her attention to a customer.

A JD (U) worker, Mahadeva, who claims to be one of the 19 directors of the Malavalli Taluk Kurubara Sangha, alleges money, wine and meat are being liberally supplied by some political parties in Malavalli and adjoining areas. He says if at all Mr. Somashekar is defeated, it would be because of money-power.

When Mr. Somashekar visits localities where Muslims live in large numbers, he is flooded with a litany of complaints.

While one complains that the Urdu teacher training institute set up when Mr. Somashekar was a Minister has now been shifted, others complain that their ration cards have been “taken away”.

A local Muslim leader, Mahabub Pasha, claims that the ration cards have been cut down from 650 to less than 200 and that the community is now aware that they would have to join hands to ensure Mr. Somashekar’s victory.

Satisfied with his visit, Mr. Somashekar leaves the fair to visit several other villages dotting the constituency.

Congress campaign

Nearly 40 km away at Halagur, Congress candidate Y.S. Siddaraju is meeting voters to try and convince them that he is the official candidate of the party.

Mr. Siddaraju also speaks about money and meat being offered to voters.

He says some candidates are arranging meals and poojas at what he calls “Kshudra Devatas, where liquor and meat are offered” so that they can circumvent the Election Commission guidelines.

Both Mr. Somashekar and Mr. Siddaraju are happy over the delimitation, saying that with the inclusion of Kirugavalu, the constituency has now become complete. The sun sets and heat dissipates, yet the candidates are in no mood to give up. They motor across the villages in a vehicle with their supporters seeking votes and promising to develop the constituency.

‘They remember me’

Congress candidate R.V. Devaraj is overcome by emotion when he sees the reception given to him by people during his door-to-door campaign in the Chickpet constituency.

He turns to his friend Udayshankar, former Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike councillor, and says, “They remember me.” Mr. Devaraj lost the byelection from Chickpet in 1996 when he contested as a candidate of the Karnataka Congress Party.

The Congress has won only once in Chickpet, in 1989, when Perikal Mallappa was its candidate. Janata Parivar candidate A. Lakshmisagar won three times from here.

But Mr. Devaraj had better luck in neighbouring Chamarajpet constituency, from where he won twice, in 1989 and 1999, as the Congress candidate. “I was brought up in this area. My home is at Mavalli and I know every place in Chickpet.” Five BBMP wards have been added to Chickpet constituency in the delimitation exercise — Sudhamanagar (ward number 48), Kempe Gowda Nagar (49), Visveshwarapuram (50), Mavalli (61) and Hombe Gowda Nagar (63).

Even in the midst of soliciting votes, Mr. Devaraj does not fail to check some of the works he had undertaken when he was MLA for Chamarajpet.

“I was the first MLA to think about the closed storm water drains in Bangalore and had represented it to the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. One of the first areas to get that facility was Chickpet, where the roads are narrow. Due to the closed storm water drains, the roads are now broader,” he says.

He, however, said that there were traffic bottlenecks that need urgent attention. The Urvashi theatre intersection needs an underpass which, he says, will be his first project once he wins the elections.

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