Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah is likely to keep a safe seat in north Karnataka region as a back-up after being convinced by his well-wishers about the dangers of relying only on the Chamundeshwari seat in view of a “deal” between JDS and the BJP there.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Chief (KPCC) Dr G Parameshwara, who had lost the last time by over 30,000 votes, is also likely to contest from two seats - Koratagere in Tumkur district and Pulikeshinagara in Bengaluru.
Party insiders say that while Congress president Rahul Gandhi has given the green signal to Siddaramaiah’s dual seat plan, Parameshwara is yet to get his approval.
According to sources, Siddaramaiah will contest from Badami in Bagalkote district along with Chamundeshwari. The sitting MLA of Badami, BB Chimmanakatti, is not well and the party has told him that Siddaramaiah may pick his seat.
Badami has a large number of Kuruba voters. Siddaramaiah is a Kuruba by caste and they look up to him as their tallest leader. Siddaramaiah has vacated his current seat, Varuna in Mysore district, for his son Dr Yatheendra.
Sensing that chief minister and state Congress president are planning to contest from two seats each, the main opposition parties - BJP and JDS - have already stepped up the attack, calling them cowards.
Siddaramaiah won five times from Chamundeshwari between 1983 and 2008. The first time was as an independent, second and third on a Janata Party ticket, fourth on a JDS ticket and the last time on a Congress ticket.
After the delimitation of constituencies, he moved to newly created Varuna for strategic reasons and has won twice from there on a Congress ticket.
The current MLA of Chamundeshwari, JD(S)’s GT Deve Gowda, is a strong leader in Mysore district and former PM HD Deve Gowda is working overtime to on a strategy to defeat one-time “shishya” Siddaramaiah.
“Siddaramaiah is a megalomaniac. He is arrogant. He is abusing my party. The voters of Chamundeshwari will not like that. He will be defeated this time," he told News18.
The BJP is not considered a strong party in this seat and it is still searching for a suitable candidate who can take on Siddaramaiah. The chief minister’s followers allege that BJP has a secret deal with the JDS to defeat Siddaramaiah.
The semi-urban seat has 72,000 Vokkaligas and 30,000 Lingayat votes. The Backward Classes, Muslims, SC/STs together have over a lakh votes. Siddaramaiah is confident of getting votes from people of all castes and religions.
He told News18 that BJP’s caste politics will not work here as the voters see him as their chief minister, not as a Kuruba or OBC.
Veteran Congress leader H Vishwanath, who crossed over to the JDS after his relationship with Siddaramaiah soured, maintains that it is not going to be easy for the chief minister this time. Speaking to News18, he said, “The hubris will finish him. He thinks too much of himself."
Another veteran Dalit leader V Srinivasa Prasad, who joined BJP after a public spat with Siddaramaiah, has vowed to defeat him this time. Speaking to News18, he said, “Siddaramaiah has insulted all Dalits by humiliating me. We will teach him a lesson this time.”
However, Vokkaliga leader from Chamundeshwari, Mavinahalli Siddegowda, believes that voters elect a tall leader like Siddaramaiah and not someone like GT Deve Gowda just because he is a fellow Vokkaliga.
Siddaramaiah is also playing a sentimental card by telling the voters that it is his last election and the people must back him one last time. JDS state chief HD Kumaraswamy is also contesting from two seats in this election. BJP’s chief ministerial face B S Yeddyurappa is contesting from only one seat - his bastion Shikaripura in Shimoga district.
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