Karnataka polls: People's love, respect keep me going, says nonagenarian Shamanur

At a time when politicians such as B S Yediyurappa, S A Ravindranath and Haladi Srinivas Shetty have announced retirement from electoral politics, nonagenarian Shamanur Shivashankarappa is seeking re-election from the Davangere South Assembly constituency for the sixth time. Perhaps the oldest candidate in the upcoming Karnataka assembly polls, Shivashankarappa, 92, spoke to Nrupathunga S K on what keeps him going. Excerpts:

What drives you to face elections at the age of 92?

People’s love, affection and respect force me to contest elections even at this age. I share a strong bond with them. I do their work on a priority basis. I am in the fray again seeking re-election to continue my work.

BJP leaders complain that your age does not permit you to visit the constituency frequently. How do you connect with people?

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Do BJP leaders visit their constituencies daily? No. People come and share their woes with me or my workers. I have no problem visiting the constituency as I just have to sit in the car and go there to take stock of the situation.

The constituency you’ve represented for decades still lacks basic amenities like roads and drainage.

I admit that roads are very narrow in the constituency. To widen it, houses and shops have to be demolished. People are not ready for that. Most people of the constituency belong to low-income groups and there are slums.

Why has the Congress confined itself to Davangere city?

The party lacks a strong presence in other parts of the district.

The Congress high command did not choose the right candidates in the remaining four constituencies of the district (Jagalur, Honnali, Channagiri and Mayakonda). So, the party lost its hold. The party should field the right candidates.

Muslim leaders wanted the Davangere South ticket for one of them. But you got the ticket. Will this affect your poll prospects?

It’s true that Muslims seek tickets from this constituency. But they didn’t win the polls. The constituency may have around 60,000 Muslim voters. They will not get remaining votes. Even if I campaign for a Muslim candidate, 5-10% Veerashaiva-Lingayats might back a Muslim candidate. So, the time is not ripe for Muslim leaders to contest.

What is your take on the BJP government’s decision to bring Lingayats under the new 2D category?

It’s a mere election gimmick and nothing else. Even the hike in reservation percentage for SCs and STs won’t benefit people of those communities.

Food vessels and sarees stored in boxes containing images of you and your son S S Mallikarjun have been seized.

They don’t belong to us. BJP leaders are doing it only to tarnish our image ahead of the polls.

What will be the fate of Congress in this election?

There is a pro-Congress wave in the state and in the district. Congress will get a majority. We will win five out of seven seats in the district.