BENGALURU: With the BJP eyeing to make inroads into Old Mysuru, former chief minister and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy is apparently leaving no stone unturned to thwart the attempts of the ruling party, which has reportedly deployed its Vokkaliga leaders with a mission to make inroads in that region.
If Saturday’s incident of an alleged attack on MLC C P Yogishwar by JDS workers at Channapatna is any indication, the regional party has sensed that letting another leader in may prove disastrous for it in the 2023 Assembly polls. When Yogishwar went ahead with the foundation-laying ceremony for road works, ignoring Kumaraswamy, the latter allegedly could not digest it, considering that he is the sitting MLA. The constituency was earlier held by Yogishwar.
The BJP leadership, while appointing Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, also a Vokkaliga, as the Ramanagara district in-charge minister, was clear that it hoped to gain some backing from the community in that region. The Yogishwar-Ashwath Narayan combine hinted at taking on both the Congress and the JDS leaderships, to help the BJP make some ground.
Meanwhile, given that KPCC president D K Shivakumar and his brother and Bengaluru rural MP D K Suresh, who themselves have to take on the Vokkaliga leaders of the BJP, seemingly remain neutral, allowing for Kumaraswamy to handle them, sources said. There will not be any surprise if Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy strike a deal with each other in certain seats of the Ramanagara district, according to one source. During a recent meeting with community leaders and religious heads, instructions were given to both Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy that they have to be on good terms when it comes to attaining the CM’s post, sources added.