On the way you are greeted with parched lands, dried up wells, abandoned cement units, unemployed youths and the poor peasants. This was the taluk which had two ministers from 1999 to 2004 during S M Krishna’s regime. This is the second most important constituency after Shikaripur as Congressmen hope to send not an MLA but a chief minister!

Former CM late R Gundu Rao had contemplated to contest from Chittapur which was then a Cong forte. And now it is again in the glare of state and national media as KPCC President Mallikarjun Kharge has opted to try his luck after his traditional Gurmathkal constituency was dereserved in the delimitation process. The decision of Kharge to ditch a constituency which had sent him to the Assembly for eight consecutive times with convincing margins since 1972 and opt for a newly created reserved constituency clearly shows that Kharge doesn’t want to take even slightest political risk of contesting from a general constituency.

Kharge is apparently batting on a  sticky wicket. However, enthusiasm among the voters of having the privilege of sending a potential CM is missing. The saffron wave has virtually made Kharge to fight with his back to the wall.

Never in his long career spanning over three and half decades had Kharge entertained Lingayat religious heads. Today he is busy seeking the blessings of every one of them.

The consolidation of dalits and Muslims is the consolation for Kharge with the backward classes stand divided. The Kabbaligas (Kolis) and the Lambanis are not happy with Congress. BJP’s humble nominee Valmiki Nayak is giving sleepless nights to Kharge as the latter is capable of going easily with anybody. 

The JD(S) nominee Basavaraj Bennur, ZP member, is capable of swallowing a few thousand votes.