CHITRADURGA: For both Congress and BJP, itis a battle of prestige to win the Chitradurga (SC) Lok Sabha constituency, which is at the centre of the state. The segment will go for polling in the second phase on April 26. The constituency, which went the saffron way in the 2019, has never reelected a sitting MP ever since the delimitation exercise in 2009. Realising that there could be an anti-incumbency factor against Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment A Narayanaswamy, BJP has fielded seasoned politician Govind M Karjol.
Congress, meanwhile, has again picked former MP from the constituency BN Chandrappa, who is contesting from here for the third successive time. Karjol may be the JDS-BJP alliance candidate, but he is entirely dependent on BJP ranks that are present in every village of the constituency, like Congress.
Though Chitradurga was termed a Congress stronghold when the constituency was formed, the situation has undergone a change since then, with BJP making inroads since 2008 at the cost of JDS. The regional party, unlike in other districts of the Old Mysuru region, is completely nonexistent in the constituency, except for some pockets in the Hiriyur Assembly constituency.
The parliamentary segment has sizable voters belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. After them, Lingayats, Yadavas, Kunchitigas, Muslims, Kurubas and other communities form the electorate. Both Congress and BJP are eyeing Madiga voters, who too form a major chunk of voters. The constituency comprises Chitradurga, Holalkere, Hosadurga, Challakere, Hiriyur and Molakalmuru Assembly segments of Chitradurga district and Sira and Pavagada Assembly segments of Tumakuru district.
Underdeveloped constituency
Though Chitradurga has good road connectivity, it has not been developed and remains one of the most backward districts in the state. The lack of development is attributed to nonavailability of water, which is why issues like Upper Bhadra Project, Tumakuru to Davanagere direct railway line, better healthcare facilities, development of education sector and industrialisation hold sway in this election. Voters here have voted differently in various polls.
Amidst the Prime Minister Narendra Modi wave in 2014, Congress candidate BN Chandrappa won by a margin of over one lakh votes against Janardhana Swamy. But he lost in 2019 by a margin of 80,178 votes to BJP candidate A Narayanaswamy. This time, he is banking on Congress MLAs who have won Chitradurga, Hosadurga, Hiriyur, Challakere, Molakalmuru, Sira and Pavagada Assembly constituencies, while the party has a sizable presence in Holalkere, where BJP won.
BJP is depending on Modi’s achievements in the last 10 years, Karjol’s experience and Yediyurappa’s influence among Lingayats. If the leads of all Congress candidates across the eight Assembly constituencies are totalled, it stands at over 2 lakh votes. Will it translate to the Lok Sabha election is the big question. Both Congress and BJP candidates faced rebellion from their own ranks as both are not from Chitradurga district.
Karjol hails from Mudhol, which is more than 500 km from here, while Chandrappa is from Tarikere, which is 100 km away and is attached to the Chitradurga parliamentary constituency. BJP’s rebellion by Holalkere MLA M Chandrappa was quelled by former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, while the internal feud in Congress was tackled by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC president and DCM DK Shivakumar.