Race to Lok Sabha: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah under pressure on home turf

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is under pressure to ensure the victory of candidates of the Congress party on his home turf, Mysuru-Kodagu Lok Sabha constituency, and the neighbouring Chamarajanagar Parliamentary seat.

The Congress is facing formidable BJP opponents in both seats. Taking no chances amid talks of the veteran Congress leader “gradually approaching the end of his CM term”, Siddaramaiah has been sweating it out on both seats.

He had camped for four days to carry out campaigning in Mysuru district for his close aide M Laxman, who is the Congress candidate for Mysuru-Kodagu segment.

CM Siddaramaiah campaigned throughout the day in Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha Constituency on Friday. Sunil Bose, son of Minister for Social Justice HC Mahadevappa is the Congress candidate.

Mahadevappa is a close confidant of CM Siddaramaiah. Knowing the challenges and consequences very well, the Chief Minister’s son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, has been working tirelessly in both constituencies.

The BJP had denied a ticket to sitting BJP MP Pratap Simha, a Vokkaliga leader, and fielded the royal scion Yaduveer Wadiyar.

CM Siddaramaiah, who vehemently opposed Mysuru royal family, is tight-lipped about Yaduveer Wadiyar and Mysuru kings, fearing backlash to his party.

He has also instructed party leaders not to make any comments. According to political observers, Siddaramaiah is being careful about the polarisation of Vokkaliga and forward community (general case) votes in the Mysuru-Kodagu seat.

In this seat, which has about 15 lakh voters, Vokkaliga votes account for more than 4 lakh, followed by Lingayats, Dalits, and OBCs. There are 1.5 lakh Muslim and 1 lakh Brahmin voters. Following the polarisation of Vokkaliga votes, CM Siddaramaiah suffered a humiliating defeat in the Assembly election in 2018 from Chamundeshwari Assembly seat in Mysuru district.

CM Siddaramaiah has now been making strategies to tap more than 2 lakh votes of Dalits, 2 lakh votes of OBCs, 1.3 lakh votes of Kurubas, 1 lakh votes of STs, 1.5 lakh Muslim votes, and voters from other communities including Christians.

Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha Seat is considered as the bastion of the Congress party as voters from oppressed classes dominate the numbers. The BJP has fielded S Balaraj, a close aide of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa from the seat.

Siddaramaiah is confident of winning the seat as there are 4.60 lakh Dalit votes, 2 lakh Scheduled Tribe voters, and 1.60 lakh voters of Kuruba community.

Siddaramaiah said on Friday in Chamarajanagar that the Congress had won 136 seats by getting 43 per cent of votes in the last assembly elections.

“The BJP won only 66 seats. The JD-S got 19 seats. Now both of them are afraid of this election. They have come together to face the Congress party without any ideology or programme. The only goal is to defeat the Congress party,” he said.

According to political analysts, Siddaramaiah is under pressure to put up a good show on his own turf, mainly to present that as a testimony to his governance and popularity.