TUMAKURU: The Congress high command reportedly had second thoughts about fielding former minister TB Jayachandra for the Sira bypoll, as this is the tenth time he is contesting elections. Besides, both Jayachandra and his son TJ Santhosh were defeated in the 2018 assembly polls, which was a big setback for the party.
In 2018, Jayachandra contested from Sira and his son from Chikkanayakanahalli, and both faced the wrath of the backward classes. In Chikkanayakanahalli, Kadugolla community youth leader Sasalu Sathish, who was defeated in 2013, was denied the ticket in 2018, and Santhosh was chosen as candidate. He was responsible for the defeat of Suresh Babu, a Kuruba leader from JDS, and the BJP’s J C Madhuswamy won.
It had a cascading effect on neighbouring Sira, as Jayachandra and his son were seen as being averse to the backward classes.Just ahead of the Sira bypoll, Sasalu Sathish has been made working president of the Tumakuru District Congress committee, setting a new precedent. When Jayachandra’s name was sent to the party high command, state in-charge general secretary Randeep Surjewala had reportedly raised his objection, to the shock of KPCC president DK Shivakumar.
By then, two-time Chitradurga LS member C P Mudalagiriappa had lobbied for the ticket for his son, Dr C M Rajesh Gowda, who had a business partnership with Varuna MLA Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah. He was close to Opposition leader Siddaramaiah, because of which, Gowda’s name was doing the rounds in Congress circles. In fact, KPCC chief D K Shivakumar cleared the name of Jayachandra ‘logistically’. Interestingly, Dr Rajesh Gowda, who had not joined any party, jumped to the BJP with Jayachandra’s staunch supporters, on the promise of a ticket.
Jayachandra predicts midterm polls in Karnataka
In the thick of the Sira bypoll campaign, Jayachandra has predicted that the state may face snap polls, as the Yediyurappa government may not complete its term. “In my 50-plus years of experience in politics, I saw midterm polls twice -- when the governments were on a shaky pitch,” he said at a public meeting. He also claimed that whenever he lost and faced bypolls, in 1985 and 2008, midterm polls had followed after the alliance governments had collapsed.