Campaigning for Nanjangud and Gundlupet byelections hit a new high with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah setting off on a whirlwind tour seeking votes on Friday.
Setting the tone for the campaign by listing the pro-poor programmes implemented by the government in the last four years, Mr. Siddaramaiah also described the elections as ‘needless’, indirectly alluding to the resignation of V. Srinivas Prasad who, affronted on being dropped from the Cabinet, resigned, which necessitated the byelections.
“We are forced to field a candidate to contest the bypolls ahead of the general elections next year. The results of this elections will have no bearing on the government,” said Mr. Siddaramaiah. He set off from Nanjangud and was given a rousing welcome at Goluru village on the outskirts of the town where he was ushered to the local Marammana Gudi after which he addressed the gathering and sought votes for Congress candidate Kalale Keshavmurthy.
The main focus of his address at Goluru, Chinnadagudihundi and Badanvalu was on development. He eschewed all criticism of Mr. Prasad – who has a sizeable following in the region and in his home turf – though he alluded to the BJP and described their policies as ‘anti-poor, anti-women and anti-minorities’.
He listed out a slew of new welfare programmes that were announced in the State Budget and said they would come into effect from Saturday (April 1). “This government has spent over ₹4000 crore in the last four years to ensure that nearly 4 crore people of the State receive rice at a subsidized rate. The objective was to ensure a hunger-free Karnataka. No government has ever spent such an amount on social welfare,” Mr. Siddaramaiah said.
Reiterating the Congress’ commitment to the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes, the CM said ₹27,704 crore had been allocated in the budget for 2017-18 for this. This was the highest ever allocation for a community and it was fourfold the funds allocated by the BJP during its regime.
Mr. Siddaramaiah highlighted specific programmes meant for the development of SC/STs, OBCs, minorities, women and farmers, to appeal to the broad spectrum of voters in his address at each of the stops during his campaign that covered 18 villages. Unlike promises made during the campaign to shore up infrastructure and seek votes, the focus of his address was to recall the work done in the last four years.
Mr. Siddaramaiah was accompanied by H.C. Mahadevappa, PWD Minister, R. Dhruvanarayan, Chamarajanagar MP, and others. Given the stakes involved, the CM is camping in the region till April 7, with intermittent visits to Bengaluru if required, but will focus on canvassing in Nanjangud and Gundlupet on alternate days.
