KORATAGERE:The KPCC chief Dr G Parameshwara lost by more than 18,000 votes in 2013 assembly polls, against P Sudhakar Lal from JD (S). It is a considerable margin but, this elections, the Congress leader may have it easier and much more so.There is a sympathy wave that is rising in Parameshwara’s favour and the 2018 election will be a triangular fight -- with a strong contender from Bharatiya Janata Party — which may split the voter base to his advantage.
The former state Home Minister seems to have made more friends inside the party. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had not attended Parameshwara’s campaign last time, was present at the mega rally on March 11. And, here a section of Kuruba leaders openly declared their support for the Parameshwara.
Old friends, like his college friend and Madhugiri MLA K N Rajanna, is by his side too. Rajanna, who could not become a minister in the Siddaramaiah government, albeit efforts, has been campaigning to get his ST Nayaka community’s votes for Parameshwara.
Triangular fight
What actually might give Parameshwara the edge this time is the chance of a triangular fight, as the BJP may field a strong nominee in ZP member Y H Huchaiah or former MLA Gangahanumaiah.Political analyst Puttalingaiah says, “In 2013, it was a straight fight between Parameshwara and JD(S) party’s P Sudhakar Lal and it helped the latter. But, in 2008, Parameshwara had won in a triangular fight”.
In 2013, the BJP candidate seemed a weaker opposite, polling only 3,500 votes. The winner Sudhakar Lal polled 72,229 votes, against Parameshwara’s 54,074. The KJP’s Vale Chandru polled over 15,000 votes.The election before that, in 2008, Parameshwara done well in a triangular fight: He polled 49,276 votes, followed by JD(S) party’s Valechandru with 37,719 and BJP’s Gangahanumaiah with 33,000.
Valechandru has since switched to Congress and is campaigning for Parameshwara, which may help him consolidate SC community’s votes. “We used to vote for Congress party and we will do this time too, as Valechandru has suggested,” says Kempaiah and his friend Siddaiah at Bikkegudda village, while waiting for a bus under a tree.
All seems well, but sources say that Parameshwara seems to have made enemies too. There is the Lingayat leader G S Basavaraju, who had moved to BJP from Congress, and he is using his considerable influence in the district to help Gangahanumaiah. Party sources say that he is looking to settle scores with Parameshwara, who he believes spoiled his chances of returning to the Congress during the 2014 LS polls.Party men say that Parameshwara managed to get S P Muddhaganume Gowda the ticket instead, and ensured that he won against Basavaraju, who contested on a BJP ticket.
Anti-incumbency may be a factor
MLA Sudhakar Lal may face anti-incumbency because residents here say that no big development work was undertaken in his tenure, other than concreting a few roads. “The concrete road too his half done,” says Hariyamma at Tharati village. The completion of state highway under K-SHIP project, between Malavalli and Pavagada, was the only high-point. But Lal does not believe that he will be rejected by his constituency. He says, “I have worked for Koratagere for the past 18 years, including 13 years as ZP member. I respond to their complaints and people here treat me like their son. Despite having no help from the state government and officials, I have tried my best to develop this constituency”. JD (S) supporters agree that Lal was largely helpless, saying that his efforts were stalled by the Congress government which did not release funds. Local JD(S) leaders, in large numbers, are also defecting to support Parameshwara. Some of them were supporters of former minister C Chennigappa, who represented Koratagere until it became a reserved constituency.
Righting mistakes
The unification of SC communities over Sadashiva Commission’s report may help Parameshwara, who has clarified that he is not against its implementation. To spot the mistakes he made in 2013, Parameshwara reportedly hired a Bengaluru-based agency to do a study. They pointed out that he should clarify his stand on the commission’s report. “The SC community’s left faction had blasted Parameshwara, and he is ready to rectify this lapse,” says a source in the agency. “Few had also expressed annoyance that he was not accessible”.
