The stage is set for a straight contest between the Congress and the BJP in Chamarajnagar (Reserved) Lok Sabha constituency.
The old rivals — Congress MP R. Dhruvanarayan and A.R. Krishnamurthy of the BJP — are locked in a stiff battle.
In a sense, it’s a prestige battle for the Congress as seven out of the eight Assembly constituencies coming under the Chamarajanagar constituency are held by the party. One of them, Varuna, is represented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The BJP is banking on the ‘Modi wave’ to a great extent. Besides, the mood is upbeat in the BJP camp with the return of the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa to the party fold. The party is hoping to consolidate the Lingayat votes with Mr. Yeddyurappa’s re-entry.
Mr. Krishnamurthy, who suffered three successive poll defeats at the hands of Mr. Dhruvanarayan, is hoping for a ‘sympathy’ factor to work in his favour and is making passionate appeals to voters to give him a chance. He lost the 2009 poll to Mr. Dhruvanarayan by a margin of 4,002 votes.
Having fielded the former Minister M. Shivanna (Kote), the Janata Dal (Secular) is making a determined bid to make inroads into the constituency which was once the stronghold of the Janata Parivar.
The Parivar was in control over the constituency after it wrested the seat from the Congress in 1996.
Mr. Shivanna, who enjoys considerable clout in H.D. Kote taluk, a tribal-dominated area, is banking on Vokkaliga and minority votes. The Social Democratic Party of India is supporting the JD (S). The constituency is dominated by Dalits, Backward Classes, Lingayats, and minorities.
With two weeks to go for the polls, electioneering has gained momentum in the constituency, which borders Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Amid a battery of supporters, the candidates are sweating it out, touring the constituency spread across Chamarajnagar and Mysore districts.
‘Modest edge’
If the present scenario is any indication, Mr. Dhruvanarayan appears to have a ‘modest edge’ over Mr. Krishnamurthy.
Mr. Dhruvanarayan is banking on development agenda and social justice card. He is projecting the ‘achievements’ of UPA-1 and UPA- 2 besides the works done by him as an MP and the ‘pro-people’ programmes of the Siddaramaiah government in the State.
He is also banking on the aura of Mr. Siddaramaiah, who recently visited Chamarajanagar town, debunking the ‘superstition theory’, and the image of three ministers –Srinivasa Prasad (Nanjangud), H.S. Mahadeva Prasad (Gundlupet) and H.C. Mahadevappa (T. Narsipur).
The incumbent MP promises to remove the ‘backward’ tag attached to the constituency by prioritising education and health, and promoting tourism.
Mr. Krishnamurthy, son of former governor B. Rachaiah, is promising to bring about a change with ‘real’ development in Chamarajnagar district, with Mr. Modi at the helm. Mr. Shivanna claims that the JD (S) would emerge as an ‘alternative’ to the Congress and BJP in the constituency and promises to prioritise drinking water, irrigation and tourism development.
