HUBBALLI: The state Congress top brass now has its sights trained on Kundgol, a do-or-die constituency which could spell out where the party stands after May 23. Little wonder then, that former chief minister Siddaramaiah, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao and water resources minister D K Shivakumar are out in full force to support Kusumavati Shivalli, wife of late C S Shivalli.
The Kundgol assembly bypoll was necessitated after the death of Shivalli. For Congress, it is crucial to retain Kundgol, and keep its number intact in the assembly. For the Shivalli family, it is a chance to gain control over Kundgol again.Both Congress and BJP candidates filed their nominations for the May 19 bypoll on Monday. Though S I Chikkanagoudar of BJP had filed a set of nomination papers last week, he submitted another set on Monday as the official BJP candidate. Both parties used the occasion to hold roadshows, and flex some muscle.
For Congress, it is a matter of prestige that it retains the seat, and hopes to ride the sympathy wave for Shivalli. It is also keeping an eye out for JDS’ vote transfer to ensure victory. For the BJP, which lost Kundgol in 2018 by a sheer margin of 600 votes, it’s a matter of that final push to the finish line.
One Congress leader said, the situation in 2019 is a bit different, and is favourable to his party. Though Shivalli had won narrowly against Chikkanagoudar, Kusumavati Shivalli’s win could be easier — she has sympathy on her side and JD(S) leader M S Akki has considerable influence among voters. The only
big question is whether JD(S) votes will transfer to Kusumavati, he added.However, it is learnt that Congress is not relying only on the sympathy factor, because BJP has a strong base here.
Moreover, caste dynamics of the constituency are not in favour of Shivalli, as Lingayats are a majority here, and Kusumavati is a Kuruba. But campaigning by Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who are close to the Shivalli family, is likely to make the contest more interesting and close.BJP also tried to send a message by asking its leaders Jagadish Shettar, Govind Karjol and Basavaraj Bommai to be present when Chikkanagoudar filed his papers. But party workers feel that the presence of state president B S Yeddyurappa would have attracted more workers for the roadshow.
A BJP insider said in the Kundgol bypoll, BJP has to overcome the sympathy factor to snatch the seat from Congress. Unless there is consolidation of Lingayat votes, which are 80,000 of the total 1.89 lakh, it would be tough to compete with the opponent. Yeddyurappa should campaign to ensure a victory, he added.
A common problem the parties face is pacifying those who failed to get the ticket. Congress has two or three aspirants, who were lobbying for the ticket. M R Patil of BJP was upset over being denied the ticket. Though he was present when Chikkanagoudar filed his nomination, he is unhappy with the leadership, sources said.