Siddaramaiah to chair Grama Janadhikar Samavesha

Opposition Leader and former chief minister Siddaramaiah is slated to chair ‘Grama Janadhikar Samavesha’ of Congress of Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency, in the wake of Gram Panchayat (GP) elections, scheduled to be held on December 24, in Mysuru taluk.

However, the meeting, scheduled to be held at Kalabhyraveshwara Convention Hall, Niveditha Nagar, Mysuru city, on December 18, Friday, and the GP election itself are expected to have far-reaching effects on the next Assembly election, said a senior Congress leader.

“During the preliminary meeting of ‘Grama Janadhikar Samavesha’, held on December 14, Monday at Congress Bhavan, a few leaders and workers of Chamundeshwari constituency complained that they are left to fend for themselves, without a leader, to either lead or guide them, since the defeat of Siddaramaiah in the 2018 Assembly polls,” said the leader.

“Congress workers, mainly candidates contesting GP polls, who used to have a straight fight with JD(S) supported candidates, till the last election, face a changed situation. With the BJP, which is not a major force in Mysuru region, also taking the GP polls seriously, the contest dynamics has changed a bit. Even if the BJP supported candidates do not win, the votes they would poll would affect the winning prospects of either the Congress orthe JD(S) supported candidates. Whom it would affect negatively has to be seen,” another Congress leader said.

Meanwhile, pointing at the complaints of Congress workers about not having a leader in Chamundeshwari Assembly segment, a KPCC member said that since his defeat, Siddaramaiah has not lost touch with leaders and workers in Mysuru region, especially Mysuru district.

“However, he has not done much for party workers of Chamundeshwari segment. Whenever, he comes to Mysuru, he meets only a select few leaders. Ordinary leaders and workers do not have access to him. He has toured his son Dr Yathindra’s Varuna constituency. But, except for some personal visits, he has not toured Chamundeshwari segment,” the KPCC member said.

A ZP member said that former ZP president K Marigowda had plans to contest the 2018 Assembly poll in Chamundeshwari. "But, as Siddaramaiah’s late son Rakesh nursed an ambition for the same constituency, he side-stepped. Even though Rakesh was not there, during 2018 polls, Siddaramaiah chose Chamundeshwari to make way for his son Dr Yathindra in the more safer Varuna. Not knowing whether Siddaramaiah would stick to his present Badami segment or come back to Chamundeshwari, Marigowda is not proactive in the constituency,” the ZP member said.

A former GP member said that present MLA G T Devegowda, who trounced Siddaramaiah with a huge margin in the 2018 polls, is a force to reckon within Chamundeshwari segment.

“Devegowda is a grassroots-level leader. With or without party support, he wields enormous influence among the people of the segment. With neither Siddaramaiah nor any other Congress leader doing much in the segment, Devegowda has become more confident. Even though Devegowda is maintaining a distance from the JD(S) and its leaders, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and his lieutenant, also KR Nagar MLA, Sa Ra Mahesh have tried to reach out to him. That is his clout, in rural areas,” the ex-GP member said.

Siddaramaiah should either announce that he will come back to Chamundeshwari, for the next Assembly poll, or name a Congressman, who can lead the people and contest the election, to fill confidence among party workers, said the ex-member of GP.