MYSURU: The ruling Congress suffered a major setback in the old Mysore region with the BJP-JDS alliance sweeping the Vokkaliga heartland.
The Congress had high expectations here as it won 39 of the 54 seats in the Assembly elections last year. It could win only Chamarajanagar and Hassan LS seats this time.
The party had high stakes as CM Siddaramaiah and DCM DK Shivakumar hail from the region. They may have to share the blame for the party’s dismal performance. This may also have its impact on the coming elections to the BBMP Council and other local bodies in the region.
The BJP-JDS alliance registered a big win in southern districts because of the consolidation of Vokkaliga votes with JDS. The community, which threw its weight behind Shivakumar in the Assembly elections, rallied behind Kumaraswamy, hoping that he will get a plum portfolio if NDA retains power at the Centre.
Shivakumar’s brother and sitting MP DK Suresh was humiliated by BJP’s CN Manjunath, a renowned cardiologist, in Bangalore Rural. Dr Manjunath is former PM HD Deve Gowda’s son-in-law.
Siddaramaiah, a Kuruba strongman, could not win Mysore for Congress though the constituency is considered his home turf. BJP’s Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, a political novice, won from here.
The Congress lost Kolar owing to the rift between the factions led by veterans KH Muniyappa and Ramesh Kumar. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise to Mallesh Babu of JDS. The party also lost Chikkaballapur and Tumakuru seats.
Political observers feel that Karnataka has a culture of voting for a stable government at the Centre. However, voters’ priority differs in the state when it comes to Assembly elections, they say.