DAVANGERE/CHITRADURGA: With the ‘D’ Day approaching fast for the South-East Graduates’ constituency, the candidates are doing their last rounds of campaigning before the voting on October 28.
There are 15 candidates in the fray, including official picks from the three major political parties — BJP, Congress and JDS — and also two BJP rebels. While Congress’ Ramesh Babu and JDS’ Chowdareddy Toopalli have no intra-party dissidence, BJP’s Chidananda M Gowda is facing a stiff competition from, D T Srinivas, who is the husband of Hiriyur BJP MLA K Poornima, and Dr Halanuru S Lepakshi.
The BJP did try to dissuade the two from contesting the polls, but when they were not convinced, party bigwigs campaigned hard for Chidananda, knowing full well that it would be a hard-fought contest.
MLA Poornima said she is embarrassed by her husband contesting as an independent, but did not make it clear whether she is supporting her spouse or Chidananda.
Lepakshi told TNIE that he is confident of winning the election as there is a sympathy factor in his favour, because the saffron party has denied him a ticket not this once, but twice earlier. “It was the same Chidananda Gowda who criticised the BJP during the Assembly, Parliamentary and MLC elections. Though the BJP has given him the ticket, he is not known among voters,” he commented.“I have worked for 30 years helping the cause of graduates and teachers which has stood me in good stead. I also belong to the numerically strong Lingayat community,” he said.
BJP election in-charge for the constituency K S Naveen said, “However hard the two rebel candidates may try, it is not easy to change the minds of an educated, sensitive electorate,” he said. The party’s campaigning is well-oiled, and party MLAs and MPs are campaigning for Chidananda which will help him sail through, he added.