Channapatna bypolls: A clash of Vokkaliga biggies

Nikhil Kumaraswamy is fielded as the NDA candidate and CP Yogeshwara, a former minister, and five-time MLA, is the Congress candidate for the bypoll.
CP Yogeshwara and Nikhil Kumaraswamy
CP Yogeshwara and Nikhil Kumaraswamy(Photo | X, EPS)
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BENGALURU: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and his arch-rival Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar are not in the fray for the November 13 assembly bypolls. But the real contest in Channapatna — around 60 km from Bengaluru is between the two Vokkaliga heavyweights. They are making every effort to outdo each other to consolidate their support base within the community and the region.

Former CM Kumaraswamy won from Channapatna — famous for wooden toys and lacquerware — in the 2023 polls, while state Congress president Shivakumar was elected from the neighbouring Kanakapura with a massive margin of 1.2 lakh votes. Nikhil Kumaraswamy is now fielded as an NDA candidate in the high-stakes by-elections after his father Kumaraswamy was elected as MP from Mandya and vacated the assembly seat.

He is taking on Congress’ CP Yogeshwara, a former minister, five-time MLA, and a perpetual party-hopper. Both candidates are also known for their work in Kannada movies.

Nikhil lost two elections back-to-back — the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Mandya and the 2024 assembly election from Ramanagaram. Breaking that losing streak is important for the former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s grandson, who is actively involved in party work.

This election is equally important for Kumaraswamy and the regional party as Congress leaders are constantly targeting Kumaraswamy since his induction into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. Leave aside cooperation on the administration front, there is constant friction between the state government and the Union minister.

A win in Channapatna may not change that equation much. However, it could help the JDS leader send a message to his detractors that he still holds sway over the voters in the dominant community. That could further boost his reputation among the NDA leaders.

Unlike Shivakumar, who is playing it safe by giving the Congress ticket to Yogeshwara, who rejoined Congress earlier this week after quitting BJP, Kumaraswamy has taken the bull by the horns by fielding his son. Last year’s assembly election results give some indication of the logic behind their decisions. Kumaraswamy had secured 48.83% votes, while Yogeshwara, who had contested as a BJP candidate, got a good 40.7% votes. Congress had secured a mere 7.77 % of the votes.

Perhaps for Shivakumar, who is eyeing the CM’s post, Yogeshwara is the best bet to take on JDS in its stronghold. His image as a Vokkaliga strongman in Congress had taken a hit after his younger brother DK Suresh’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls from Bangalore Rural. A win in Channapatna may help to undo that damage to some extent.

The ruling parties generally have an advantage in the bypolls. But those closely associated with Channapatna polls say it can go either way. In the next few days, all attention will be focused on the assembly seat in the Old Mysuru region, though the BJP is fighting Congress in Sandur and Shiggaon assembly segments in North Karnataka.

Congress expects Lingayat votes in Shiggaon

In Shiggaon, the Congress’ strategy to field a minority community leader Yasir Khan Pathan as its candidate is likely to help the BJP consolidate Lingayat votes, apart from getting support from other communities. On its part, Congress is banking on the significant presence of minority and Kuruba community voters in the segment.

Former CM and BJP MP Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharath is making his electoral debut from the constituency which was represented by his father. Bharath’s grandfather SR Bommai, a veteran Janata Party and Janata Dal leader was the Chief Minister from Aug 1988 to April 1989.

In Sandur (ST reserved constituency), BJP’s charge is led by former minister Gali Janardhan Reddy. Although BJP never won the seat in the past, its leaders claim that every election is different. Sandur was represented by Congress’ E Tukaram for four terms. His wife E Annapoorna is now the party candidate after he was elected as MP from Ballari.

The focus of the bypolls will largely be on Channapatna, which will witness the clash of the Vokkaliga heavyweights from Congress and JDS, with BJP throwing its weight behind its NDA ally. Senior leaders from Congress and JDS-BJP are going to pull out all the stops to win the seat.

CP Yogeshwara and Nikhil Kumaraswamy
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