SHIVAMOGGA: Children of two former chief ministers have thrown their hat in the ring in the Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency and if BJP rebel and former deputy chief minister K S Eshwarappa, who is considering contesting as an independent, follows through, it will be a three-way fight in the constituency.
Historically, Shivamogga district has dominated state politics, having produced four chief ministers and one deputy chief minister. This time, the Shivamogga (Shimoga) Lok Sabha constituency is witnessing a fierce fight between sitting MP and BJP candidate BY Raghavendra and Congress candidate Geetha Shivarajkumar. If Eshwarappa remains in the arena, the clash is expected to be intense in the constituency.
Raghavendra is the son of former CM B S Yediyurappa and elder brother of BJP state president BY Vijayendra. Geetha is the daughter of former CM late S Bangarappa and sister of Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa. She is also the wife of Sandalwood superstar Shivarajkumar.
Till now, Eshwarappa is determined to contest the election to “fight the family politics” of the Yediyurappa clan which, according to him, is responsible for the denial of a ticket to his son KE Kantesh from the Haveri constituency.
The Lok Sabha constituency has seven Assembly segments in Shivamogga district and one of Udupi district. In the last Assembly elections, JDS won Shimoga Rural, Congress Bhadravathi, Sorab and Sagar, while BJP bagged Shimoga, Thirthahalli and Shikaripura. BJP also won in Byndoor. It has 17,29,901 voters, including 8,52,107 male, 8,77,761 female and 33 third-gender. There is significant presence of SC/STs, Lingayats, Deevaru (Ediga) and Muslims.
Shivamogga has seen varied political representation, with Congress and BJP having won a majority of times. However, BJP has been continuously winning since 2009. Bangarappa senior himself won on a BJP ticket in 2004. It is also said that Bangarappa, an influential OBC leader, was the key to giving a new lease of life to BJP which was trying to establish a base in Karnataka. He also won in 1996 on a Karnataka Vikas Party ticket, in 1999 on a Congress ticket and in the 2005 by-election on a Samajwadi Party ticket. The 2009 Lok Sabha election was a direct fight between Bangarappa and Yediyurappa, though the latter’s son Raghavendra was the candidate. Bangarappa, who was suffering from ill-health and could not campaign effectively, was defeated by 52,893 votes.
In the 2014 election, Geetha contested on a JDS ticket but came third, while Yediyurappa, riding the Modi wave, won with a thumping margin of 3.63 lakh votes against Congress’ Manjunath Bhandary. BJP’s Raghavendra defeated Madhu Bangarappa in the 2018 Lok Sabha by-election and in the 2019 general election. The rivalry between these two families has been a defining feature of the political landscape in Shivamogga with both families having deep roots and influence in the region’s politics.
While Raghavendra is a Lingayat, Geetha belongs to the Ediga community, while Eshwarappa is from the Kuruba (OBC) community.
The constituency faces several key issues. There have been disturbances between different communities in the past, highlighting the need for improved communal harmony. The arrest of terror operatives has raised security concerns. As a region connected with the Western Ghats, there are ongoing discussions about balancing development with environmental conservation. The need for better education facilities and job opportunities is a recurring theme as the constituency works towards economic growth and development. The constituency will go to the polls on May 7.