Coalition partners going all out to breach BJP bastion

For the fourth time in a row, Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency is witnessing an electoral battle between families of two former chief ministers - S Bangarappa and B S Yeddyurappa.

Though the BJP had maintained a clean slate since 2009 polls, the coalition partners would take heart in the fact that their nominee Madhu Bangarappa had put up a brave fight in the bypoll to Shimoga in Nov 2018, despite his candidature being announced in the eleventh hour. Madhu polled 4,91,158 votes, losing by a margin of 52,148 votes to BJP’s B Y Raghavendra

Madhu, this time around, is banking on the combined strength of the Congress and the JD(S) cadre, the troubleshooting skills and strategic prowess of Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar and Rs 200 crore that he managed to get for irrigation projects in the district.

The JD(S) and Congress cadre in the district are hoping that Shivakumar would help Madhu cross the line, as he did for Ugrappa in Bellary in 2018 bypolls.

DK brothers - Shivakumar and Suresh - are camping in the constituency, monitoring the campaign and the election strategy.

The brothers pulled off a Houdini act by bringing a truce between the arch rivals of Bhadravathi - B K Sangamesh, MLA of Congress, and M J Appaji of JD(S) - and made them work together for the victory of Madhu.

The combined strength of sitting MLA and former MLA is expected to fetch a good chunk of votes from Steel Town.

On the other hand, the BJP is confident of continuing its winning spree here on the back of Modi wave, the strength of the cadre and seven legislators in the constituency and the works initiated by the MP and party nominee B Y Raghavendra and his father B S Yeddyurappa.

Issues such as title deeds of all bagair hukum cultivators and land rights for tribals and forest dwellers under the Forest Rights Act have taken a backseat.

Going by the caste equations, Edigas and Lingayats constitute bulk of electorate followed by the Muslims, Vokkaligas, SCs/STs and other backward classes. So, both the candidates are leaving no stone unturned to keep their traditional vote banks intact and garner the support of other major communities.

The constituency is witnessing a high-voltage campaign with both the coalition partners and the BJP having managed to rope in the star campaigners.

Apart from Shivakumar, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda among others are canvassing for votes for Madhu while the BJP had national president Amit Shah, B S Yeddyurappa and a host of state leaders hold roadshows and election rallies for Raghavendra. If the coalition manages to wrest Shimoga, seen as shakti kendra of the BJP in the state, it will weaken B S Yeddyurappa’s political hold and the saffron party in its heartland. So, the stakes are high for both the parties in Shimoga.