Basavakalyan, a symbol of equal society, but caste decides polls here

Possibility of Muslim vote split gives Congress the jitters

It was here that 12th century social reformer Basavanna gave the world the concept of a Parliament - the Anubhava Mantapa - and advocated for a caste-free ‘egalitarian’ society.

However, caste is a reality in Basavakalyan for the April 17 byelection, in what is expected to be a straight, fierce battle between the BJP and Congress, with the JD(S) likely to play spoilsport.

The bypoll was necessitated following the death of Congress MLA B Narayan Rao due to Covid-19 last year.

While the BJP fielded Sharanu Salagar, seen as an outsider, the Congress picked Rao’s wife Mala to ride on a sympathy wave. The JD(S) has fielded Syed Yasrab Ali Quadri, who might divide the minority votes to hurt the Congress. Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) has taken this bypoll seriously.

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Former MLA Mallikarjun Khuba, who was the front-runner for the BJP ticket, is contesting as an Independent under the banner of ‘Basavakalyan Swabhimana Balaga’. In total, there are 12 candidates in the fray.

About 50,000 Lingayat votes are likely to be split between Sharanu and Khuba, who belongs to the community. The BJP got a big relief after former MLA M G Mule, a Maratha leader, withdrew his nomination as the NCP candidate. The Maratha community forms a major chunk of population here and they are traditional voters of the BJP.

The Congress is unnerved with Quadri of the JD(S) and AIMIM’s Abdul Razaq Chaudhary. The constituency has 40,000 Muslim votes, a traditional Congress vote base. The party has roped in former minister P G R Sindhia to woo the Maratha votes. The party is also trying to lure voters from the Koli, Kabbaliga and other backward classes.

The victory margin will be thin, says political analyst Muzaffar Assadi. “The votes of minority communities will become one-sided. As seen in previous elections, a majority of the votes will be grabbed by the Congress,” he says.

For voters, there are developmental issues. “Though Hulsoor was carved out as a new taluk, no basic amenities have been provided so far,” say Galeppa Rajore and Channayya Swamy.

Narasing Patil from Gutti village, close to the Maharashtra border, says leaders promise the moon during elections and forget about it later.

“They’ve done nothing for the village, which is deprived of even a proper drainage system,” they added.