From the moment when he entered the fray in the Tumkur Lok Sabha constituency, Annaiahappa Krishnappa (68) never rested until the polling was over on April 17 at 6 p.m.
He was the first one to file his nomination papers on March 19 and he was all excited as none other than JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda had accompanied him. “Did you not elect a backward kuruba, the late C N Bhaskarappa during 1996? This time too forget caste and elect Krishnappa,” Gowda had exhorted the public thus, giving Krishnappa a shot in his arm.
“What is wrong in my banking on Gowda for the win? He is my leader,” he shot back to a media barb.
Having fielded a backward class leader in a Lingayath and Vokkaliga dominant constituency, Gowda had taken the task personally to visit Tumkur and hold late night deliberations with the leaders.
Till the last day of campaign he was very much involved in winning the hearts of masses. He had also taken part in the motorbike rally in the Tumkur rural segment on the last day.
His Golla community leaders had in fact advised him not to take a risk by contesting from Tumkur earlier. “He underwent a open heart surgery some months ago and the extensive travel during the campaigning might have taken toll on his health,” they felt.
Krishnappa was forgiving and did not take issue with KPCC president Dr G Parameshwara’s derogatory statement against Gowda or use it for his political gain.