YADGIR:It is mid-noon with the sun scorching in the dusty town of Gurmitkal in Yadgir district and hundreds of barefoot women are waiting on the main thoroughfare with Poorna Kumbha (holy Kalash) on their head.
Standing there already for the past two hours, the wait is getting longer. The town is wearing a festive look of a religious fair and it springs to life as the Rath enters the town with BJP State president B S Yeddyurappa standing atop, waving to them. The Rath rolls into the main streets of the town, a la the traditional Rathotsava with the womenfolk giving it a grand welcome.Yeddyurappa’s ‘Parivarthana Yatra’ is raising dust literally in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, the political turf of veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
As the yatra traversed through Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Raichur districts of the region, the energetic response is enthusing the former Chief Minister to go for the kill in the forthcoming Assembly election.The crowds wait patiently to hear him although he is about two hours behind schedule in arriving at the rally venues at most places.
The signs of resurgence after the drubbing the party received in the 2013 election due to the split in the party, has brought a few worries, too, with intense fight within for the party tickets. Yeddyurappa and Union minister Ananth Kumar had to endure embarrassing moments at rallies in Bidar, Yadgir and Kalaburagi districts with infighting erupting in the open.
Ananth Kumar was compelled to hand over the mike to Saibanna Borabanda, one of the ticket aspirants, to address the gathering after another aspirant Venkatareddy Mudnal delivered his speech at the rally. The gathering appeared to be divided between the two ticket aspirants and Yeddyurappa appealing repeatedly to abide by the party’s decision in the selection of the party candidates and work unitedly to bring BJP to power was a common feature in every rally.
Hyderabad-Karnataka region comprising Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Ballari and Kalaburagi districts with a total of 40 assembly constituencies has remained the unassailable fortress of Congress for the past six decades with Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge along with late Dharam Singh having established a vice-like grip over the region.
However, the response to the Yatra, lack of development in the region and return of Yeddyurappa to BJP as its Chief Ministerial candidate has ignited new vigour to the party’s ‘Mission 150’.
The campaign strategy with stress on MY (Modi-Yeddyurappa) factor and concerted attack on Hiri (senior) Kharge and Kiri (Junior) Kharge was seen striking a chord with the gatherings at Chincholi, Sedam, Gurmitkal, Chittapur and Kalaburagi.
BJP leadership sees a clear chance to breach the Congress fortress in the region starting right from Gurmitkal, from where Mallikarjun Kharge had won a record 8 times before moving to Lok Sabha. Congress MLA Baburao Chinchanasur had won the Gurmitkal seat with a thin margin of 1,650 votes in 2013, when BJP could not offer real fight due to split in the party. “We will deliver the sucker punch to Congress and Kharge in Gurmitkal this time,” says Yeddyurappa exuding the confidence of ending Kharge’s dominance.
Addressing the rally at Gurmitkal, Yeddyurappa and Ananth Kumar play sons of the soil card by terming Kharge and Chinchanasur as outsiders who never cared to have a home or stay here in Gurmitkal. Lack of any signs of development in the constituency even after Kharge representing it for decades and repeated reminders to the populace that it was Yeddyurappa as the CM who declared Yadgir as a district and set up the Banjara Corporation for the development of backward Banjara (Lambani) community, which has a huge presence in the region, draws applause from the crowd and it is being repeated in all the 4 constituencies of Yadgir.
The campaign managers are also driving home the point that Prime Minister Modi deserved the credit for Siddaramaiah’s popular ‘Anna Bhagya’ scheme as the Union government is giving a subsidy of `29 per kg of free rice being distributed against `3 being reimbursed by the state government. Attack against the Siddaramaiah government for neglecting the ‘Bhagya Lakshmi’ scheme launched by Yeddyurappa is turning intense to woo the women voters.
The campaign with a plea for change and give one chance for a non-Congress party appears to be gaining traction at least among the young voters which has always remained loyal to Congress and got very little in return in the form of development. The response and mood is similar in Chittapur constituency being represented by Priyank Kharge, son of Mallikarjun Kharge. “We have committed a mistake by voting Congress for the past 60 years. Our leaders have become complacent. It is worth trying other options as our leaders so far have failed to bring change in our lives,” says Sharanappa Biradara, who runs a tea stall in Gurmitkal.
Betting big on Mahadayi
Mahadayi dispute could have a decisive impact on BJP’s ambition to return to power and the party is ready with its strategy. It hopes to deliver a master stroke as the Assembly election approaches by getting a positive response from the Modi government for a negotiated settlement of the dispute with Goa. “I will go to Delhi the very next day (December 15) after the Gujarat Assembly election. I will plead with and cajole Prime Minister Modi and our party national president Amit Shah to resolve the Mahadayi dispute. I will convince them for a negotiated settlement with Goa to meet the drinking water needs of northern Karnataka. I am committed to fulfill my promise,” Yeddyurappa said speaking to Express reiterating the promise to resolve the issue before the Assembly electon. Any positive response from Prime Minister Modi and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar could boost BJP’s prospects in northern Karnataka.