BENGALURU: This Assembly election will see at least 10 children of present and former chief ministers contest in the state. Though their father’s legacy might help the candidates, political analysts say individual charisma will matter in the long run. Interestingly, it is only the sons who are contesting.
While Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will contest from Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru, his son Dr Yathindra will fight the poll battle from Varuna. After the demise of his elder son Rakesh Siddaramaiah, the chief minister started grooming his second son for mainstream politics. Yathindra, a medical practitioner, has now plunged into full-time politics. Yathindra is contesting against former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s son Raghavendra in Varuna.
Prof Muzaffar Azadi, political science department, University of Mysore, says that a child of a prominent leader is likely to win. Take for instance Minister Tanveer Sait. Though he was not too popular in Narasimha Raja Assembly constituency, he won the election as his father Aziz Sait was a formidable Congress leader here.
“However, to grow as a politician, it is the individual charisma that matters,” he said. Political scientist Prof Sandeep Shastri said, “To start with, the father’s name might help to some extent. If one’s father was the CM for ten years ago, people would remember him. But that is not the case if he was the CM a few decades ago. Even if these sons win, to sustain as a politician, the individual’s ability is what matters.”
Tweet trouble
Former chief minister Veerappa Moily recently courted controversy with a tweet in which he alleged that in Congress money plays a big role in deciding who gets a ticket. There was speculation that the tweet was a result of his son Harsha Moily being denied a ticket. Junior Moily too retweeted the same. Later, KPCC issued a showcause notice to the father and son seeking an explanation over the tweet. Moily later said that his son is not contesting the election this time.