BAGALKOT: Sitting MP Parvatagouda Chanadanagoud Gaddigoudar wrested the Congress stronghold of Bagalkot LS constituency in 2004 and turned it into a BJP turf, recording straight victories in the subsequent three Lok Sabha elections. Now, he is looking to clinch his fifth title and set a record for the constituency.
Bagalkot district, rich in cane production and popular for ancient monuments in Badami taluk, is witnessing a fight this time between the 72-year-old BJP warhorse and his young rival, 30-year-old Samyukta Patil of the Congress.
In the last 17 Lok Sabha polls in the district, the Congress bagged 11 contests while the Janata Dal and Lok Shakti party won one each.
The saffron party not only put the brakes on the winning streak of the Congress from 2004, but also has retained the seat since then with Gaddigoudar holding solid ground.
Interestingly, in all the four elections as well as this one, Gaddigoudar has been facing different candidates of the Congress, his nearest rival.
In 2004, the Congress fielded former MLC S R Patil against him; in 2009, it was present Bilagi MLA J T Patil; in 2014, former minister Ajaykumar Sarnayak was the party candidate, and in 2019, former ZP president Veena Kashappanavar became the first female candidate to lock horns with Gaddigoudar. In the present election too, Gaddigoudar is contesting against a female candidate, Samyukta Patil.
Samyukta, one of the youngest candidates from the state in the Lok Sabha polls, is the daughter of Textile Minister Shivanand Patil. Hailing from Vijayapura district, she is contesting the election for the first time and that too from a neighbouring district.
This factor would have worked against her with Bagalkot voters considering her an “outsider”. However, ground reports suggest that extensive campaign and coordinated efforts by all Congress MLAs have helped her in shedding the tag to a significant extent.
Gaddigoudar, on the other hand, still seems to be popular among the voters of Bagalkot because of his roots here, his seniority and proximity with leaders of different communities. But, the reported lack of support from BJP MLAs may not yield the expected results for him.
Not much for development
Gaddigoudar without doubt is treated as a “decent” politician, but he is also facing criticism of not bringing any major industries or boosting the tourism sector in a significant manner despite the district having the potential.
Caste equations
Caste factors may do some damage to Gaddigoudar’s prospects. The Panchamsali community, which has strongly backed the BJP so far, may swing in favour of Samyukta this time as she too belongs from the same community. It may be noted that in the last election, Veena Kashappanavar, a Panchamsali, failed to win the election despite clinching a significant number of votes from the community.
Since Muslims and Kurubas are in good numbers, their unity could also affect the prospects of Gaddigoudar who comes from the Ganiga community.
Adding to this is the Congress government in the state and five Congress MLAs of the eight LS constituencies of Bagalkot. Nargund assembly segment of Gadag district is also part of Bagalkot LS constituency. It won’t be a surprise if Gaddigoudar wins, but it will certainly create a history of sorts if he is defeated by a woman candidate.