BENGALURU: Channapatna Assembly constituency witnessed a high-voltage bypoll with the Congress pitching CP Yogeshwara against NDA’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Yogeshwara had the last laugh by defeating Nikhil by a margin of over 25,000 votes, further cementing the Congress’ base in the Old Mysuru region.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Yogeshwara, an actor-turned-politician who quit the BJP and joined the Congress in October, said if DyCM and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar is given a chance to occupy the CM’s chair, he, too, would support him.
Excerpts:
Did you expect a victory by this margin?
I expected a win by a thin margin as I panicked after seeing the intense campaign by JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and their money power. After polling, I gathered information from every booth and realised that their strategy did not work. I met CM Siddaramaiah and DyCM DK Shivakumar and expressed confidence in winning by 30,000-35,000 votes. Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan’s (alleged racist remarks against Kumaraswamy) might have reduced my victory margin by 4,000-5,000 votes.
Was it an evenly fought battle?
He (Nikhil) is still a newbie in electoral politics. He is not a match for me. I had defeated his mother (Anitha Kumaraswamy) and lost to his father Kumaraswamy by a narrow margin in the past.
What percent of Vokkaligas voted for you?
About 50% of the Vokkaligas who are honestly into farming voted for me, as I have developed irrigation facilities during my past tenure. Some elite, educated, and casteist Vokkaligas favoured the Gowda family.
Nikhil is determined to stay back in Channapatna...
He should have been determined to stay back in Mandya and Ramanagara from where he lost in the past.
Your plan for Channapatna...
Implementation of underground drainage systems, bus stands, and irrigation projects. Kumaraswamy destroyed the constituency by being aloof. Administration has collapsed. I have to uproot corruption. I have to take steps to strengthen farmers financially by providing scientific prices for their produce with a better market and instilling scientific knowledge into agriculture. I am also thinking of contract farming in horticulture, as Bengaluru is nearby and is a big market for fruits and vegetables. Channapatna can tap that potential as water is abundant and the land is fertile.
Are you indebted to CM Siddaramaiah, DyCM DK Shivakumar, and former MP DK Suresh?
I created a win-win situation for myself and the Congress. If I had not been the candidate, the party would have lost. It is a bargain between us. A loss for Congress might have dented the image of Shivakumar as the state’s DyCM.
Do you want to see Shivakumar as the next CM?
What’s wrong with it? DK Shivakumar has his own strengths and capabilities... but it is not that he doesn’t have any weaknesses. If opportunity knocks at his doors, I, too, will support him.
You advised HD Deve Gowda to retire. How do you justify it?
He should have retired after he crossed the age of 90. But he remained power-hungry despite becoming the PM. Moreover, he just could not ensure his grandson’s victory. As per Darwin’s theory, it is survival of the fittest. He did not rule the state or country for a full term... with no significant contribution of his own.
Isn’t he (Gowda) the supreme leader of Vokkaligas?
In the past he was. What credibility did he have? He groomed all his family members and grandsons, and how can he become a Vokkaliga leader? Vokkaligas have realised this fact. He has to vacate his seat, or else strong forces within the community will overpower him and acquire the seat. It may be DK Shivakumar or someone else who has capabilities and luck on their side.
You still have your sympathisers like R Ashoka and Dr CN Ashwath Narayana in the BJP, who lobbied in favour of you for the NDA ticket...
Naturally, they knew my strength. But BS Yediyurappa used my strength to become CM... but he ensured that I could not become a minister.
Will you go back to BJP in the future?
Why should I? I am not a Deve Gowda to do so. I defected to Congress with a reason in the interest of the welfare of my people of Channapatna.
Will you continue to be a jumping star... switching parties?
The answer is no since Congress is in power. Let’s see if such a situation arises. I have not signed any bond paper to any party (including Congress). I am an independent thinker. What is the use of sticking to one party without carrying out any development work in the constituency? Development is my ideology. Mine is like a private limited company.
Did Minorities help you win?
Even when I was in BJP, 3,000-4,000 of them (Minority voters) voted for me. This time, since I was the Congress candidate, they voted for me in large numbers.