HOLENARASIPUR: Holenarasipur in Hassan is a JD(S) bastion, therefore, former PM Deve Gowda had never once campaigned here for his son Revanna, who won four elections from this constituency. But, this polls, the scales have tilted.
Sources say that Siddaramaiah may pit a Vokkaliga leader and former president of Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association against the Gowda family.
Bagur Manjegowda is likely to be the Congress candidate from Holenarasipur constituency and that may force the JD(S) supremo to actively campaign for his son. Manjegowda, who was working as a Vehicle Inspector with the transport department, took voluntary retirement.
“People of Holenarasipur are yet to be freed from the dictatorship of HD Revanna, who has ruled Holenarasipur for 20 years,” says Manjegowda, who claims that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah encouraged him to join politics.
Of the 14 general elections held from 1952, Deve Gowda won six and his son HD Revanna won four times, from this constituency.
Sources say that the JD(S) leaders have been taken by surprise. They had not expected Siddaramaiah to take this constituency seriously, nor had they imagined that Manjegowda would quit his job to enter the fray. Interesting, no other party including the BJP has workers or a political base here.
Revanna says that he is not the least bit anxious about the Congress candidate. “But, the chief minister should not have chosen a tainted person for this constituency. This is a democracy and anyone can contest elections, but it is a shame that the chief minister is taking a special interest in targeting me. I am confident of winning elections with a huge margin this time too,” he says.
Manjegowda is from the Dasa Vokkaliga community, and a native of Bagur in Channarayapatna taluk. Holenarasipur is a constituency dominated by Vokkaligas whose numbers add up to 69,000 — followed by SC at 40,000, OBC at 45,000, Kuruba at 15,000, Lingayat at 20,000 and others at 15,000.
Congress hopes that caste equations will work in its favour, adding to the goodwill among OBCs and from CM’s popular schemes for SCs and STs.
But there is talk of infighting and dissidence in the Congress camp. Anupama, the daughter-in-law of former minister late G Puttaswamy Gowda, the Congress leader who had defeated Deve Gowda in the 1989 elections, had contested on INC ticket and secured 64,000 votes in the 2013 assembly elections. She was a strong contender for a ticket from this constituency.
Sources say that there was a fear that she may contest as a rebel Congress candidate or join BJP, when CM decided to field Manjegowda. Reportedly, Siddaramaiah has spoken to her to quell any dissent.
Anupama G says that she has no plans of joining the BJP, but sounds bitter about the ticket allocation.
She says, “There is no value for efficient leaders in Congress.
The party leaders should have taken me into confidence before choosing Bagur Manjegowda, but the CM or KPCC President are yet to discuss election matters with me… Many Congress workers are ready to join JD(S).” She adds that the district in-charge minister had requested that she gives a new candidate an opportunity “to teach the JD(S) candidate a lesson”.
