Three-time legislator C P Yogeeshwara is seeking re-election this time on a BJP ticket, a party that is yet to open its account in the constituency. The best performance so far by the party was in 1999, when it could manage to secure 10.3 per cent of the total votes polled.
The entry of Congress candidate T K Yogish, son of Yogeeshwara’s one-time political mentor T V Krishnappa, has induced unity among the party workers.
There is a palpable sympathy wave for JD(S) candidate M C Ashwath, who contested unsuccessfully during the last two Assembly elections.
Formidable challenge
Fresh from his defeat in the May 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Yogeeshwara faces the formidable challenge of convincing the electorate to send him back to the Lower House. Yogeeshwara, who had won the 2008 Assembly polls, had quit his seat to contest the Lok Sabha polls on a BJP ticket. In fact, in the Channapatna segment during the last Parliamentary polls, JD(S) candidate H D Kumaraswamy had secured a lead of 20,000 votes, by bagging 67,267 votes, compared to Yogeeshwara’s 47,103 votes in Channapatna.
The Congress had fared badly in the segment by securing only 12,428 votes. However, this time, the Congress seems to have touched the right chord among the electorate by choosing Yogish as its candidate.
Hailing from a family with political legacy, Yogish is popular in Bevur hobli. Yogish’s grandfather V Venkatappa was the first Speaker of the State Assembly and his father T V Krishnappa, a two-time legislator.
Ashwath has a considerable base in Malur and Virupakshapura hoblis which has several JD(S) pockets. Guddethimmansandra is one such village. Here people do not mince words to praise their MP HD Kumaraswamy.
The JD(S) domination continues upto a stretch 10 km down south till Iggalur. Yogeeshwara is banking on the huge chunk of votes in Channapatna town. He enjoys popularity among the 50,000 voters here. With the polling day drawing near, all the three political parties are cutting into each other’s votes. The Congress and the JD(S) are after the 30,000 Muslim votes in the constituency. The BJP is trying to retain the Congress voters who had cast their franchise to the saffron-fold in the Lok Sabha polls.
All the parties are making big promises to the electorate. The favourite, however, is providing funds to build ‘village temples’. As locals point out that, while other promises are forgotten, the funds for constructing temples usually come in.
No wonder, the taluk boasts of highest number of temples in the State - 370 and still counting!
* Hoblis: Kasaba, Malur,
Virupakshapura and Bevur
* Voters: 1,86,655.
Male: 92,150, Female: 94,505
* Total candidates: 10
* Elections: August 18
