MYSURU: The stage is set for an interesting battle in Varuna assembly constituency, with the BJP central leadership fielding influential Lingayat leader V Somanna against opposition leader Siddaramaiah. The BJP, which announced its first list of candidates on Tuesday, has fielded strong candidates against the tall leaders of the Congress, with R Ashoka challenging KPCC president D K Shivakumar in Kanakapura.
Varuna, the home turf of Siddaramaiah currently represented by his MLA-son Yathindra, is considered a safe seat which the veteran can win without much difficulty. Though Siddaramaiah wished to contest from Kolar, the Congress, which did not want to risk it, announced his name from Varuna.
However, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to ensure the defeat of Siddaramaiah, and turn Varuna into a repeat of his bitter experience in Chamundeshwari, where he had lost to JDS MLA G T Devegowda
in 2018.
The BJP hopes its strategy of fielding Somanna against Siddaramaiah works. The selection of Somanna, who is well versed with the political geography and caste arithmetic of Varuna segment, has been termed a “masterstroke” by political analysts in the region. Somanna, a five-time MLA who was district minister of Mysuru during the Covid-19 pandemic, is aware about the local politics. Having proved his mettle in the political sphere by winning as an independent candidate from Bengaluru, Somanna is expected to give Siddaramaiah a tough fight.
With the presence of Suttur Mutt, a prominent Veerashaiva mutt in Varuna constituency which plays a pivotal role in voter behaviour, fielding a Lingayat candidate is said to be a strategic move to distance Lingayat voters from the Congress.
Party insiders told TNIE that though Somanna was not keen to contest against Siddaramaiah, there was pressure from the high command, and as a return favour, he was given the ticket from Chamarajanagar, which he was seeking. It is said the BJP has assured Somanna of a suitable position for his son, who is hoping to take the plunge into electoral politics.
The constituency has nearly 2.33 lakh voters, with a good number of Lingayat and Kuruba voters. The conditions are favourable for Siddaramaiah, with the constituency being his home turf and son Yathindra having gained people’s praise with development work. Though the Ahinda leader had announced that he would just file his nomination and not campaign, it may not be a cakewalk now with Somanna entering the fray.
However, dissent in the BJP could cost Somanna dear. There was pressure from a faction of the saffron party to give the Varuna ticket to B Y Vijayendra. That Somanna and Vijayendra share a bitter past could also affect the BJP. A ‘Go Back Somanna’ campaign has already begun in Varuna, as BJP leader Sadananda, who was in the fray for the ticket, missed the chance. His fans and followers have launched the campaign.
Yathindra claimed that Somanna was not interested in contesting from Varuna, but is doing so under pressure from the BJP leadership. Political circles are also discussing whether this is a conspiracy by a faction of the BJP to finish off Somanna politically, by fielding him from two constituencies and ensuring his defeat in both.