How far will Krishna woo Vokkaliga voters in Mysuru-Mandya belt?

The BJP had hoped bringing former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna into its fold would help it improve its appeal to Vokkaliga voters.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Karnataka Parivarthana Yatra, a Statewide campaign led by B.S. Yeddyurappa to bolster the party’s fortunes in the 2018 Assembly elections, has entered its last phase and will cover the Mysuru-Mandya-Chamarajanagar belt — regarded a bastion of the Congress and the JD (S) — during the week.

Breaching this region, from where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hails, is regarded a major challenge for the party. BJP national president Amit Shah, who was here in August last year, is expected to address a gathering in Mysuru on January 25.

No inroads

History shows that Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar districts, apart from the adjoining regions of Hassan and Bengaluru Rural, voted against the BJP even when the party, at its peak in terms of popularity in the State, was elected to power in 2008. The BJP had then failed to make any inroads in the belt, taking just two seats, in Krishnaraja and Chamaraja segments, in Mysuru Urban. In 2013, the party drew a blank in the three districts.

The entry of former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna into the BJP fold last year was expected to give a boost to the party’s fortunes in the region, given the caste configuration along the belt. For a party that commands the support of the Lingayat community, which constitutes a significant chunk of the electorate, the party’s mission to topple the Congress hinges to a large extent on appealing to the Vokkaligas, the other dominant caste in the region. And in this, the BJP had hoped that Mr. Krishna would help galvanise support.

Interestingly, Mr. Shah during his last visit attended a function at the Adichunchanagiri Mutt at Bellur in Mandya district, a major religious centre for the Vokkaliga community.

But in the byelections to Nanjangud and Gundlupet last year, Mr. Krishna campaigned little and had no impact whatsoever on the results as the Congress retained the constituencies on the home turf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

However, the 2018 elections will be a litmus test for whether Mr. Krishna still commands a following in the Vokkaliga heartland. Hence, his participation in the yatra passing through the Vokkaliga belt had evoked great curiosity.

Limited presence

But the veteran politician himself was content with attending the yatra at his native town of Maddur, a constituency that he left in 2004 in preference of Chamarajpet in Bengaluru, on Friday. Thus, it is also argued that Mr. Krishna’s presence may have limited impact on the voters in these regions.

The yatra will cover the Assembly segments in Chamarajanagar, Mysuru and Kodagu districts from Sunday through Wednesday, and will be followed by a public rally at the Maharaja’s College Grounds in Mysuru city to encompass the four Assembly segments of Chamaraja, Narasimharaja, Krishnaraja and Chamundeshwari.