JD(S) leader and NDA candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy for Channapatna by election interacting with the people of Makali village in Channapatna constituency.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
In an election that is expected to go down to the wire, with every vote counting in the bipolar contest between two Vokkaliga candidates in Channapatna, the focus is on votes of the backward classes, though the land-owning Vokkaliga community remains politically dominant.
The Congress, which has not won the seat since 2013, is looking to make inroads into the Vokkaliga voter base and also woo the Muslim voters. The Janata Dal (Secular), now part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which derives its strength from the Vokkaliga voter base, is focusing on backward classes and hoping to retain Muslim votes.
Of about 2.32 lakh voters in the constituency, it is estimated that Vokkaliga voters constitute about 1.1 lakh followed by Muslims with about 30,000 votes. The Congress candidate and four-time legislator C.P. Yogeshwar is locked in a see-saw battle with NDA candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is trying his luck in the electoral politics for third time.
“Votes from the most backward classes (MBCs) and other backward classes (OBCs) have emerged to be important for the JD(S),” a party source said.
Wooing OBC, MBC communities
While the BJP benefitted from its alliance in the parliamentary polls, where the JD(S) managed to transfer its Vokkaliga votes in Old Mysore region, the regional party seems to be benefitting from the BJP in Channapatna. Several OBC and MBC BJP leaders are entrusted with the task of micro-managing the communities since the JD(S) lacks many such leaders in its ranks.
It has brought Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar as a considerable number of Urs community voters are in the constituency, while former BJP legislator N.L. Narendra Babu, from the Tigala community, too, is on the field. Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s appeal among Lingayats here remains intact, sources claimed, adding that Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy is visible among the SC community voters.
Similarly, JD(S) legislator for Devadurga (ST) constituency Karemma G. Nayak is working closely with Dombru and Iruliga, nomadic tribes, found near hillocks of Channapatna. Former Minister Bandeppa Kashempur is trying to woo Kuruba voters.
Effort paying off
Congress insiders admit that the JD(S) and BJP’s approach to wooing MBCs and microscopic communities might be paying off, since together these communities bring a big chunk of voters. Sources said that though KPCC Social Justice Wing chairperson C.S. Dwarkanath is working closely with about 10 MBCs, the Congress outreach towards the OBCs, including Bestha, Uppara, Gollas, Devangas, Tigala, Urs, and Balijas, is lacking.
“They are the Congress’ traditional voters, but now the BJP is working closely with them. The Congress is focusing heavily on the Vokkaliga optics. Barring Kuruba community that is well organised politically and backs Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the party is not doing much with other communities,” sources in the Congress said.
Muslim votes under lens
The move of Muslim voters is being keenly watched since they had supported the JD(S) in the previous elections. “After the JD(S) joined the BJP’s alliance, the voters seem to have moved away. In the parliamentary polls, fewer votes came to the BJP candidate in the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency despite efforts by the JD(S),” a businessman-politician from the community said. Mehdis and Darvesh sects constitute the community’s voter base here, being wooed aggressively by both parties. “JD(S) leaders have been telling the community members that they still remain secular despite the alliance,” he said.
While Congress legislators N.A. Harris, Rizwan Arshad, and Iqbal Hussein are campaigning in Channapatna, the JD(S) is dependent on the personal equations of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who was elected from the constituency twice. A former BBMP councillor Imran Pasha is the Muslim face of the JD(S).
Former JD(S) MLC H.M. Ramesh Gowda said, “The community has responded positively to our appeals during our campaign meetings.” Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda has been speaking about Hindu-Muslim unity in his campaigns and his contribution to the Muslim community.
Published – November 10, 2024 05:05 pm IST
