Four-time MLA C T Ravi up against former aide in Chikmagalur

Firebrand BJP leader C T Ravi is seeking re-election for the fifth time from Chikmagalur, a seat that promises to be high-voltage with the Congress looking to give him a tough fight.

The Chikmagalur constituency was a Congress bastion - even former PM Indira Gandhi contested the 1978 Lok Sabha election from here and won. The trend was similar in Assembly elections until BJP’s Ravi started winning since 2004.

This time, Ravi is up against his one-time aide H D Thammaiah who quit the BJP and joined the Congress. Thammaiah is a Lingayat, a community that has around 40,000 votes in Chikmagalur. Vokkaligas, the community Ravi belongs to, have around 20,000 votes. Chikmagalur also has 45,000 SC/STs, 30,000 Muslims and 23,000 Kurubas.

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Thammaiah is looking to become the second Lingayat to get elected from Chikmagalur after C M S Shastri way back in 1967.

There’s a mixed opinion about development among urban voters. Rural voters say they have not seen much difference in the last several years. “We live in a village at least 30 km away from the city. For years, we’ve been asking for a proper road. We even personally met the MLA and submitted a request, which went unheard,” said a resident of Kolagame village.

Ravi lost his first election in 1999 against Congress’ C R Sageer Ahmad. Also, the Datta Peeta issue, on which the BJP banked here, is no longer alive.

BJP workers, however, are confident of winning for the fifth time. The widening of Kadur-Chikkamagaluru road, a medical college and a super speciality hospital and Ravi’s fight on the Datta Peeta issue are enough, they say. Some voters, like Ramesh, a senior citizen, expressed unhappiness over Ravi’s “communal” statements and veiled criticism of BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa and his son B Y Vijayendra.

The district covers nine taluks with five assembly constituencies: Chikmagalur, Sringeri, Tarikere, Mudigere and Kadur. Of the five, BJP won four in 2018 - Chikmagalur, Tarikere, Kadur and Mudigere.

However, Mudigere MLA M P Kumaraswamy quit the BJP after being denied the ticket and is contesting on a JD(S) ticket. Congress has fielded former minister Motamma’s daughter Nayana Jyothi Jhawar while BJP went with Deepak Doddaiah.

In Sringeri, Congress’ T D Raje Gowda is expected to face a good fight from BJP’s D N Jeevaraj. At Kadur, currently held by BJP, there appears to be some sympathy for JD(S) leader Y S V Datta with him saying this would be his last election.

In Tarikere, it is neck-and-neck between BJP’s D S Suresh and G H Srinivas of Congress.