Congress faces an uphill task in Ramanagaram district, a stronghold of the JD(S). While Congress seems comfortable in one constituency, it is facing stiff competition in the remaining three. In the 2008 Assembly polls, JD(S) bagged Ramanagaram and Magadi, Congress won Kanakapura, while Channapatna went to BJP. Not much has changed since, except a new set of candidates.
Anitha Kumaraswamy, a sitting MLA from Madhugiri in Tumkur district, is seeking election from Channapatna. Former forest minister C P Yogeshwar, who was denied the ticket by Congress, is contesting on a Samajwadi Party ticket. Anticipating an important role in state politics, Anitha’s husband and former CM H D Kumaraswamy is contesting from Ramanagaram. However, JD(S) lost two CMCs, Magadi and Ramanagaram, in the recently held ULB polls. Taking it as a warning, JD(S) leaders have toured the district extensively to strengthen its base.
Kanakapura
Two former ministers and old rivals D K Shivakumar of Congress and P G R Sindhia of JD(S) have locked horns in Kanakapura. Sindhia has represented this constituency six times. But sitting MLA Shivakumar is giving a tough time to the veteran Janata Parivar leader. No doubt Sindhia is a known poll strategist, but people say that he has lost touch with the constituency. An interesting aspect of this constituency is that the individual matters more than the parties. Shivakumar’s brother D K Suresh too has been helping him in addressing problems of voters. Sindhia, who did not contest the 2008 elections, has to re-establish his contacts to woo voters.
Channapatna
Channapatna, a town known for toys, has assumed importance as Anitha is contesting. She changed her constituency as the JD(S) believes a Deve Gowda family member is needed to win the constituency. She is taking on Yogeshwar who has won three times from this constituency on different party tickets. He resigned from the BJP and joined Congress a few days before the elections, expecting the party ticket. Instead, the Congress chose Sadat Ali Khan. Upset, Yogeshwar has entered the fray as the SP candidate.
Voters feel that Anitha is an outsider. But her poll pitch is that her father worked as a doctor here and she spent her childhood days in Channapatna. She is banking heavily on development works done here when her husband was CM and also on the influence of her father-in-law on Vokkaligas.
Frequent changing of parties has become a problem for Yogeshwar to mobilise party workers for campaigning. Yogeshwar is a known face in the constituency but his party is unknown. Congress is waiting for a miracle to happen as whatever votes that are taken by Yogeshwar may be those of Congress.
Magadi
A triangular fight is in the offing here. Sitting MLA H C Balakrishna of the JD(S) is facing a tough fight from H M Krishnamurthy of the KJP and A Manju of the Congress. Krishnamurthy is a Congress rebel, who is likely to split the Congress votes. Both Krishnamurthy and Manju are making allegations against each other. Vokkaligas are dominant in all four constituencies followed by Muslims, Kurubas, SC/STs and backward classes.