With the BJP dropping a bomb by nominating Lingayat strongman V Somanna to contest from Varuna constituency from where former chief minister Siddaramaiah is fielded by the Congress, the AHINDA (acronym for OBC, SC/ST and minorities) leader now seems to be in a tricky situation and has now requested the high command to allow him to contest from Kolar too.
Sources in the Congress revealed to The Daily Guardian review that the CLP leader was pressing for Kolar as the second seat. “Siddaramaiah had heaved a sigh of relief after B S Yediyurappa had made it categorical that his son B Y Vijeyndra won’t contest against from Varuna but now with the saffron party announcing Somanna’s name in the first list, his political fortunes seem to appear shaky. During his last visit to Delhi, Siddaramaiah asked Rahul to accommodate him from Kolar as there was demand from that district but Rahul refused stating it will send a wrong signal and the party wanted to utilize him throughout the state. The BJP list came a day after which renewed Siddaramaiah’s demand,’’ sources said.
It is interesting to note here that the fear of loss comes from the fact that Varuna which is home to Siddaramaiah consists a large number of Lingayats and top the electorate. Here is a look at the caste combination: Lingayat-55000, Kuruba-35000, Vokkaliga-12000, Other OBC-12000, SC -51, ST voters-28,820, Muslims – 10,293 with total voters at 2,23,757.
It is this combination that has rankled the Kuruba leader. “Though he projects himself as AHINDA leader time and again he has faced stiff resistance and the onslaught of the majority community which are Lingayats and Vokkaligas. The case in point is his defeat in Chamundeshwari segment in the last assembly elections and the saving grace was Badami which was his second seat. This time too, things could play out the way as Somanna who is quite popular in the Old Mysore region could consolidate the Lingayat votes and with some help of JDS which sees Siddaramiah as enemy number 1, and also some insiders in the Congress, this fight could give him a run for his money,’’ sources said.
Though Siddaramaiah was keen to contest from Kolar before the list was announced as Varuna was represented by his son Dr Yatindra, the party high command turned down the proposal as it considered Varuna as a safe seat. With BJP now taking the bull by its horn by declaring Somanna as their candidate, the political equation has now changed making it one of the top battles to watch out for.
Meanwhile, sources close to Siddaramaiah told this paper that the high command would finally agree for Kolar for the second seat. “On April 16th Rahul Gandhi is participating in the Sathyameva Jayate rally in Kolar to protest against his dismissal as MP after a Gujarat court verdict in a defamation case. Things are all coming together and we expect the announcement in a day as the filing of nominations has begun. If only the party realizes that Kolar is important and gives Siddaramaiah ticket will he be free to go campaigning in the rest of the state, else the BJP will ensure he is tied down to Varuna,’’ he said.
With the polling day 10 May approaching fast and another 6 days to file nominations, the BJP is going all out and playing on the front foot to stop the Congress juggernaut from wresting BJP from power in Karnataka.