Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah under pressure to ensure victory of Congress nominees on home turf

Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to be under pressure to deliver a clear victory on his home turf of Mysuru-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituencies, due to various reasons. Thus, he is trying all means, to ensure the victory of the Congress Party in these two segments. He is camping in Mysuru, since March 24, planning and executing strategies.

A Congress leader close to the CM said that the BJP’s candidature of Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar was unexpected. “The CM had planned to field his son Dr Yathindra against incumbent MP Prathap Simha, initially. Dr Yathindra would have won easily against Simha, given his disconnect with Mysuru and Kodagu district BJP functionaries. When the BJP fielded Wadiyar, there was a risk for Congress, given the respect of the people for the Wadiyars clan. Thus, KPCC spokesman M Lakshmana has been fielded,” he said.

Pressure is on

Another Congress leader, in the inner circle, said, initially, when Lakshman’s name was announced, the CM was not very keen on the contest. “However, there were indications that if the Congress loses on the CM’s home turf, it would send a wrong signal. KPCC president and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar too faces a similar situation in Bengaluru Rural segment, with the BJP fielding popular cardiologist of Jayadeva fame, Dr C N Manjunath. However, Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, Congress nominee, have been serious since the beginning and are giving a tough fight to the BJP,” he pointed out.

“Within the Congress, there are talks that Siddaramaiah would have to step down as CM, if the party does not win more than 20 LS segments, out of 28 in Karnataka, including Mysuru and Chamarajanagar. While Agriculture Minister N Chaluvaraswamy is given the responsibility to ensure the victory of Congress candidate Star Chandru in Mandya, Shivakumar himself is overseeing the preparations in Hassan, where his relative Shreyas Patel is fielded,” said a Congress leader.

2018 debacle

“Thus, Siddaramaiah camped in Mysuru, to prepare the ground, to ensure the victory of Lakshmana in Mysuru and Sunil Bose (yet to be announced by Congress high-command) in Chamarajanagar. He facilitated the induction of several BJP and JD(S) leaders - of all prominent communities - who can improve the prospects of the Congress candidates. Siddaramaiah is under pressure to prove his influence on his home turf. It has to be noted that, he badly lost to G T Devegowda of the JD(S), in the 2018 Assembly poll, in his home segment of Chamundeshwari,” the Congress leader recalled.