'Ill health' doesn't stop HDK, BSY from campaigning

According to party sources, Kumaraswamy will camp in Koppal for 10 days from Monday. He is scheduled to extensively tour the constituency to drum up support for the JD(S) candidate. The Koppal byelection is scheduled on September 26.

The former chief minister, facing a trial on charges of illegally extending a mining lease to a private company, had appealed before the court that he should be exempted from personal appearance as he was a heart patient, a diabetic and also suffered from hypertension.

Ditto with former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa of the BJP. He too had urged the court recently to exempt him from personal appearance citing hypertension.

He had even got himself admitted to the hospital for treatment. But the BJP leader has been briskly touring Koppal, as part of his party’s campaign.

Yeddyurappa has been facing trial in the same Lokayukta court on charges of illegal denotification of Government lands to favour his kin.

For Kumaraswamy and Yeddyurappa, ensuring the victory of their respective party candidates in the bypoll has become a prestige issue.

This is because Karadi Sanganna, who was the JD(S) MLA from Koppal, resigned from his post and joined the ruling BJP under the leadership of Yeddyurappa.

Karadi is now the BJP candidate and the JD(S) has fielded Prathap Gouda Patil. The Congress has fielded Basavaraj Itnal.