BELAGAVI: With just a week to go for the bypolls to Sindagi and Hanagal Assembly constituencies, political pundits see the elections as a close contest between the ruling BJP and the Congress. While leaders of both the parties and JDS have been campaigning hard, the results in both seats largely depend on which way the dominant Lingayat community votes.
While winning Hanagal is a matter of prestige for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai as it falls under his home district Haveri, the big question, however, is whether the Lingayats will rally behind BJP, given the unceremonious exit of community strongman BS Yediyurappa from the top post.
A Congress bastion for long, Sindagi saw the emergence of BJP and JDS over the last two decades. Sindagi MLA and former minister, the late MC Managuli, whose death necessitated the bypoll, was a popular leader who was able to win on a JDS ticket in 2018. He defeated Ramesh Bhusanur (BJP) by around 9,000 votes.
However, the political landscape in Sindagi changed after Managuli’s death with his son--- Ashok Managuli--- switching over to Congress, which has fielded him as its candidate.
“What makes Congress’ victory easy in Sindagi is that the BJP government at the Centre has failed on all fronts. Increasing prices of LPG, petrol, diesel and essential commodities and the Centre’s failure in tackling Covid will put BJP on the backfoot. Ashok Managuli also enjoys the support of all sections of society,’’ said KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi.
While BJP and Congress are confident that JDS candidate Naziya Angadi will not impact their prospects, the division of a sizeable share of 35,000 Muslim votes is what some leaders expect.
“JDS is aware that it won’t win by fielding an inexperienced candidate. JDS top leaders HD Deve Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy and Prajwal Revanna are campaigning with the sole aim of getting Ashok defeated for betraying the party,’’ said BJP MLC Mahantesh Kavatagimath.
To consolidate the Lingayat vote, the BJP camp, led by Yediyurappa and Bommai, has launched a solid campaign for the last one week. BJP candidate Ramesh Bhusanur, who was opposed by RSS, is popular among all communities, including Muslims. “He hails from the Banajiga-Lingayat community and is backed by Panchamsali leader Basangouda Patil Yatnal (Vijayapura City MLA) and former DyCM Laxman Savadi (Ganiga-Lingayat),” said Kavatagimath.
In Hanagal, BJP has bolstered its campaign by involving several top leaders, including Yediyurappa and Bommai. Despite being deprived of a party ticket, the family of former MLA CM Udasi, whose death necessitated the bypoll, has extended support to party candidate Shivaraj Sajjanar.
Sajjanar, a close confidant of Yediyurappa, is backed by Lingayats and party leaders in Hangal. But his opponent Srinivas Mane (Congress) is equally popular in the segment. “BJP may win Sindagi comfortably... But it will have a close clash with Congress in Hanagal,’’ a top BJP leader told TNSE. JDS candidate Niyaz Shaikh will not be able to make an impact as Muslim voters are expected to rally behind Congress, aware of the inevitable division of votes if they go with JDS, say experts.
Congress spokesperson Laxmi Hebbalkar strongly backed Mane, asserting that the party will win Hanagal, given the support the party has been getting from people across the constituency.