Karnataka assembly elections are now just a day away. The southern state has six regions and the elections in each region are also unique. As part of our special series, News18 reporters travelled to each of the six regions to gauge the pulse of the electorate and give a 360-degree view of which way the political wind is blowing.
From the bountiful land of areca nut Shivamogga to the nuttily fragrant coffee country Chikkamagaluru, rocky and picturesque Chitradurga, and textile and education hub Davanagere— the Central Karnataka region is seeing an enthralling political battle.
Central Karnataka comprises 26 seats of the 224 assembly segments in the state. The election fight here is being steered between anti-incumbency and development while there is a strong undercurrent of Hindutva ruling the minds of the voters in the four major districts — Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Chitradurga, and Davanagere.
Not only are each of the districts distinct in their voting patterns, but they are also a complete contrast in terms of their economy and caste combinations. The five high-profile seats that are the highlight of this region are Shikaripura, Sorab, Shivamogga City, Chikkamagaluru, and Chitradurga.
Two seats in the verdantly green Malnad region — Shikaripura and Sorab — are witnessing a high-octane electoral fight with the sons of two former chief ministers, BS Yediyurappa and S Bangarappa, in the fray. The other seats are seeing triangular contests as the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, and Janata Dal (Secular) battle it out.
Shikaripura, the prestigious seat from where former chief minister and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa’s son BY Vijayendra is making his electoral debut, is seeing a tight fight. Though the voters say that Vijayendra will be able to win the seat, the debutant is facing resistance from the Banjara community which has close to 32,000 votes in the region. The Banjara community has been protesting against the state government’s recommendation on internal reservation and has been asking for it to be withdrawn. The protests reached their peak when the residence of Yediyurappa in Shikaripura was pelted with stones. Vijayendra has been working towards convincing the community that the issues will be addressed and sought their support to sail the BJP into the seas of victory.
Shikaripura has been Yediyurappa’s bastion and a seat that the BJP has won year after year since the senior leader contested from it. There were two exceptions in 1999 when Yediyurappa lost to the Congress candidate, and once more in 2013 when he parted ways with the BJP and floated the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP).
The Shivamogga assembly constituency has been in the spotlight for violent communal clashes and growing communal tension due to the murder of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha. Considered a bastion of the BJP, the election to the prestigious Shivamogga City seat seems tight. The dramatic retirement by former deputy CM and senior BJP leader KS Eshwarappa after being denied a ticket for the Shivamogga City seat took the electoral drama a notch higher, but soon a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the leader to wait for a “bigger opportunity” convinced Eshwarappa to stop sulking and work towards getting the BJP back to power.
The BJP has fielded SN Channabasappa, a new face but a close associate of Eshwarappa and a loyal party worker. Channabasappa was arrested when he threatened to “behead then Congress CM Siddaramaiah” and “play football with his severed head” if he ate beef. He is facing another rebel BJP leader Ayanur Manjunath who switched over to JD(S).
A two-hour drive from Shikaripura is another high-octane fight between two brothers of former chief minister S Bangarappa — Kumar and Madhu Bangarappa. This is a seat that has been won by the Bangarappa family 12 out of 13 times since 1967.
Kumar, the incumbent MLA from the BJP, is seeking re-election as he contests against his younger brother Madhu who is the Congress candidate. The voters of Sorab have been keenly watching the election pitches of both brothers as the elder sibling Kumar takes the name of PM Modi and BJP’s “double-engine government” to showcase the development that the party can bring to the region. He does not miss a chance to also mention the political legacy of his father S Bangarappa.
The younger brother, Madhu, is also rising on Bangarappa’s legacy, seeking votes and goodwill in favour of the Congress. He recalls the contribution of the Congress under chief ministers S Bangarappa, their father, and Siddaramaiah.
“There is no Modi connect here. It is Bangarappa, my father, who gave people electricity and other facilities here. People know that and they know who is the better candidate,” said Madhu.
The brothers, like their father, have also jumped from one party to another. Madhu who was initially with the JD(S) shifted to Congress in 2021. Kumar who won at least three terms on Congress tickets shifted to the BJP in 2018 and is seeking re-election.
The neighbouring Chikkamagaluru constituency is witnessing a prestige battle as the contest is between BJP general secretary CT Ravi and his close aide HD Thammaiah, who hopped to the Congress after having been closely associated with Ravi for over two decades. Friend-turned-foe Thammaiah joined the Congress in February and is trying to cash in on the Lingayat sentiment. Sources close to the political developments in the region say that Ravi is facing a backlash from the Lingayats who have felt betrayed by the BJP over their demand for reservations and a separate religion tag. Ravi, who is a four-time legislator from the seat, has been hoping that the voters would favour him.
Thammaiah, known to be a good orator, organiser, and formerly a Congressman, is considered someone who also understands the pulse of the BJP having worked with Ravi. Local reports indicate that Ravi is facing anti-incumbency which the Congress hopes to cash in on.
The districts of Chitradurga and Davanagere are seeing interesting contests as well. Chitradurga is witnessing a fierce battle of turncoats, but despite this, the region is quite critical for both the Congress and BJP. This area has a large population of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and the absence of influential Valmiki leader B Sriramulu, who has vacated his seat in Molakalmuru will have an impact on this election. In the 2018 assembly polls, Sriramulu contested the constituency and this benefitted the saffron party by gaining at least five more seats in the Chitradurga district. Sriramulu is contesting from Bellary Rural this time. Seeing the opportunity, the Congress and JD(S) have been pushing themselves to wrest power away from BJP candidate GH Thippareddy who has a good reputation in the constituency and has won Chitradurga multiple times in the past. The Congress has fielded KC Veerendra Pappy and JD(S) G Raghu Achar.
In Davanagere, the educational hub of Karnataka, the BJP is hoping to capitalise on three issues — the numerical strength of Lingayats, the handsome fund allocation for the district’s development, and the recent increase in quota for the community. The BJP government had given the Lingayats an additional 2% reservation, 2% for SCs, and 4% for STs, which it hopes to cash in on in Davanagere and Chitradurga.
On the ground, the BJP is currently dealing with defections and corruption accusations especially after Channagiri MLA Madal Virupakshappa was arrested on corruption charges by the Lokayukta. Meanwhile, Congress anticipates winning at least five out of the seven seats in the Davanagere district making corruption their core issue.
The BJP won 21 out of the 26 seats in this region in the 2018 elections and hopes that its Hindutva pitch resonates amongst the voters. The Congress has decided to use the corruption ammunition to target the BJP, making KS Eshwarappa and Madal Virupakshappa the poster boys of its campaign. The JD(S), however, trying to find a place in this fight, hopes to cash in on the sentiment of giving a “regional party a chance”.
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