Former Chief Minister B.S.Yeddyurappa’s The Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) is posing serious threats to the Bharatiya Janata Party in Mysore and Chamarajanagara districts. Quadrangular fights in most of the constituencies are expected in these two districts.
However, KJP factor will not make any kind of challenge either in the Mandya or Kodagu districts.
Even though the performance of the KJP in the recent urban local body (ULB) polls in Mysore district, is not that impressive, KJP is set to spoil the prospects of BJP. For example, KJP managed to win only one seat in the recently held Mysore City Corporation (MCC) elections but restricted the BJP to 12 seats in the 65-member council by dividing that party’s vote bank in as many as 6 to 8 wards.
Despite the BJP activists dismissed the KJP’s threat in the Assembly elections as “non-existent”, senior party functionaries have adopted a more cautious approach and want to chalk out a strategy to prevent a split in its vote bank. M.A. Mohan, a senior BJP functionary said that even though lackluster performance of the KJP in the ULB elections, the BJP will take the KJP’s presence seriously and try to stem the erosion of its vote bank.
The Congress and Janata Dal(s) leaders in the district claimed that the KJP’s entry into the fray is not expected to make a dent in the Congress or Janata Dal (S) vote bank, both of which witnessed a revival of fortunes in the ULB elections, and are riding high on a popularity wave.
Both the Congress and the JD(S) are keen on a quadrangular fight as they perceive it will go against the interests of the BJP with the KJP gnawing away at its vote bank. Sources in the Congress said that it will be a “quadrangular fight” for namesake only, but in reality Mysore will witness a direct contest between the Congress and the JD (S), especially in Mysore rural.
But in Mysore urban — comprising Krishnaraja, Narasimharaja and Chamaraja Assembly segments — Congress observers expect a tough fight in Krishnaraja, which is represented by Minister S.A. Ramdas in the Assembly. The MLA has assiduously cultivated his voters over the years.
According to KJP insiders , KJP president B.S.Yeddyurappa has personally targeted the krishnaraja constituency and conducted a road show as he wanted to defeat the BJP nominee Ramadas . However, Ramadas claimed that it (Road Show) will not affect voters on his constituency with the presence of KJP , but taken the note and began election campaign seriously even before the party announced the official list. Ramadas likely to face his old friend H V Rajeev , who left the BJP and joined KJP.
The Chamaraja Assembly segment is retained by BJP’s H.S. Shankarlinge Gowda four times, but he has distanced himself from the BJP and identified with the JD(S) now. The Congress, which is finalising its list of candidates, has a tough choice as far as allotting ticket to aspirants in the Chamaraja constituency. Congress party is concerned as it has to choose between former Mayor Vasu, who is a confidant of Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas M. Veerappa Moily, and the former MLC D. Made Gowda, who is a Vokkaliga leader and who had raised a banner of revolt when the party denied him ticket for the Mysore Lok Sabha seat in the 2009 elections.
But the Congress is expected to have it easy in the Narasimharaja Assembly segment which has been its traditional bastion, represented by Tanveer sait, son of former political legend Azez sait. The kjp factor may also be worked in rural constituencies, Varuna- represented by leader of the opposition Siddaramiah, Chamundeswari represented by M.Satyanarayana , Nanjangud represented by V. Srinivas Prasad, T. Narsipura represented by H.C. Mahadevappa and Venkatesh from Periyapatna (all from congress party)
In Hunsur , KJP’s presence may not be affect the Congress, but the Congress has to face stiff resistance with the return of G.T.Deve Gowda to JD(S) fold . G.T.Deve Gowda may give tough fight to sitting congress MLA Manjunath . Popular JD(S) MLA SA RA Mahesh , is sitting pretty at K R Nagara constituency and it is going to be very difficult for the Congress to win this seat.
The BJP won two of the 11 Assembly seats in Mysore district in the 2008 Assembly elections both of which were in Mysore urban while it failed to make inroads in Mysore rural.
The neighboring district of Chamarajanagar has been traditionally a Congress bastion and the party is confident of warding off the threat from the BJP and the JD (S), though the margin of victory was narrow in the last elections. In chamarjanagara, the congress won all four seats in the last assembly seats.
However, this time KJP factor may spoil sport in all the four assembly constituencies – Gundlpet, Chamarajanagara, Kollegal and Hanur as the majority of the voters in these areas of Veeerashivas. Four times MLA H S Mahadeva Prasad contesting from congress ticket at Gundlupet while V. Somanna, presently in the BJP, likely to switch over to the KJP and keen to contest from Hanur.
In Mandya and kodagu districts, it will be triangular fights between Congres, JD-S and Bjp . /ENN