BENGALURU: Bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats, to be held on November 3, promise to be a preview of the larger and more hotly contested Lok Sabha elections a few months from now in 2019. The polls will be a trial run for the JD(S)-Congress coalition to test the waters and will also be an opportunity for the BJP to judge if it can take on the combined might of both the parties. The election will also give an insight into the voters’ mood in the state.
Of the three LS seats, Shivamogga and Ballari were held by BJP while Mandya was with the JD(S). Bypolls were necessitated after B S Yeddyurappa and B Sriramulu of BJP, and C S Puttaraju of JD (S) resigned from their LS membership after they were elected to the state assembly in the recent elections. Puttaraju is a minister in the H D Kumaraswamy government.
Though the newly elected LS members will have a very short tenure and will hardly get an opportunity to attend two sessions of Parliament, the byelections are likely to witness a fierce fight as the results will be an indicator of things to come in the 2019 elections.The Congress and the JD(S) that have decided to go together in next year’s elections will have to work out a seat-sharing arrangement. While there won’t be any contention over the Mandya seat as that was represented by JD (S), the regional party may not stake claim for Ballari seat as the Congress has considerable base in the district.
However, Shivamogga is likely to be an issue. Sources said that the JD (S) had shown a keen interest to field its candidate here, while the Congress will be in no mood give up its claim. In 2013, Yeddyurappa had won with a huge margin of 3.62 lakh votes and this time around JD(S)-Congress together hope to give a fight.
The BJP, faced with the tough task of retaining its seats, started the campaign within hours after the poll dates were announced. In Shivamogga, Yeddyurappa announced the candidature of his son B Y Raghavendra and sought support from voters in the district.For Congress, the byelections will be crucial as it would be a big morale booster as it has not done so well in the assembly polls. “We are confident of retaining the seats and doing well in other constituencies too,” said BJP General Secretary and MLC Ravi
Kumar.
“We are confident of retaining the seats and doing well in other constituencies too,” said BJP General Secretary and MLC Ravi Kumar. “The party candidates and strategy will be discussed during a meeting on Monday,” he added. The party will finalise the names of candidates for Mandya and Ballari LS seats and Ramanagaram and Jamkhandi assembly constituencies.
For Congress, the byelections will be crucial as it would be a big morale booster as it has not done so well in the assembly polls. Good results will set a tempo for its strategy to defeat BJP in next year’s election. These elections will also put state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao’s leadership to test and his ability to ensure that the faction-ridden party works as one unit, while also accommodating a very demanding coalition partner JD(S).
“We will have a strategy to defeat BJP,” Dinesh said after the bypoll dates were announced. He said they are yet to discuss and finalise party candidates and also seat-sharing arrangement with the JD (S). According to him, the byelection results won’t be an indicator of general elections. “We take all elections seriously and candidates will be finalised after discussing with the party high command,” said former CM Siddaramaiah. JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda said there is no confusion among the coalition partners.
In the assembly bypolls, the JD (S) is likely to field CM’s wife Anita Kumaraswamy from Ramanagaram, while the Congress is yet to decide on its candidate from Jamkhandi assembly segment. Ramanagaram was represented by Kumaraswamy and Jamkhandi by Siddu Nyamagouda of Congress. Bypolls were necessitated as Kumaraswamy, who won from two seats, vacated Ramanagara and retained Channapanta. Nyamagouda died in an accident.
POLL POSITION
Ramanagara and Jamkhandi (assembly segments)
Ballari, Shivamogga and Mandya (LS seats)
Date of poll November 3 (Saturday)
Date of counting November 6
BSY son to fight from Shivamogga
Former chief minister and State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa said in Shikaripura on Saturday that his son B Y Raghavendra will contest from Shivamogga in the byelections.
Poll break for cabinet expansion
With the EC announcing dates for bypolls to 3 LS and 2 assembly seats in the state, plans for ministry expansion have yet again fizzled out. The Congress had assured the aspirants of completing the process by Oct 10.