Somanna's protege takes on richie rich Priya Krishna

 With total assets worth Rs 910 crore at the age of 29 years, a candidate like Priya Krishna (Congress) cannot go unnoticed.

The richest candidate in fray for the May 5 polls has already earned the sobriquet of a “giant killer,” having defeated the mighty five-term MLA and minister V Sommana in the bypolls held in 2009.

Somanna had to quit the post he held and was nominated as an MLC.

Congress workers in the constituency have been making a concious effortto portray Priya Krishna as a ‘poor little rich boy’, akin to the fictional charter Richie Rich known for his humility despite being the world’s richest kid.

PR exercise

Humble. Helpful. Good natured. The PR exercise for Priya Krishna in the constituency has been on several months ahead of the polls, least the electorate take a negative mindset on his affluence. Somanna has since shifted his constituency and is taking on Priya Krishna’s father M Krishnappa in the neighbouring Vijayanagara Assembly constituency.

BJP candidate H Ravindra is a sitting corporator from Vijayanagara ward in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Council. Ravindra has been hand-picked by Somanna to contest the polls.

The BJP had a game plan down its sleeves. It wanted to consolidate the large number of Kuruba votes in the constituency by getting Moodalapalya corporator Shanthakumar, who belongs to the community, elected as Bangalore city Mayor.

Ravindra’s mentor Somanna was lobbying hard to get Shanthakumar elected as the first citizen of Bangalore.

Postponed

The election was scheduled to be held on April 27, but now it has been postponed indefinitely, following a court’s directive to the government not to issue the election notification if the posts of mayor and deputy mayor are not reserved for the Scheduled Tribes category. A new mayor will now be sworn-in only after the new government is elected to power.

Despite the setback, Ravindra has not lost heart.

JD(S)’ last-minute decision

He is undertaking door-to-door campaigning, projecting himself as accessible to people and having the support of  a large number of social organisations.

Range Gowda of the JD(S) was given the ticket to contest from Govindarajnagar at the last minute. He had contested unsuccessfully from the constituency in 2008.

Being close to former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, Krishnappa had succeeded in persuading Gowda not to field a candidate from the JD(S) in the 2009 bypolls.

However, Range Gowda’s son Prakash (corporator of Kaveripuram ward in the constituency) this time is said to have insisted that his father be allowed to contest.

Range Gowda was given the ticket just one hour prior to closure of nominations.
Range Gowda can eat into both, Krishna and Ravindra’s vote banks.

A straight fight

between Priya Krishna and Ravindra is on the cards with Priya Krishna having an edge.