The small town of Channapatna, best known for wooden toys which have won the GI tag, is a political hot seat with Janata Dal(S) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy pitted against C.P. Yogeshwar of the BJP, who has represented the constituency five times under different parties.
There are several undercurrents to what on the surface appears like a straight battle here, ranging from caste politics to debates on “insider” and “outsider” tags. Mr. Kumaraswamy, many here say, also wants to “avenge” the defeat of his wife, Anitha Kumaraswamy, in the previous polls at the hands of Mr. Yogeshwar. The latter, meanwhile, is arguing that he is an “insider” and deserves the vote against Mr. Kumaraswamy, who is contesting in neighbouring Ramnagar too.
Though it initially looked like a straight fight between the BJP and the JD(S), the battle turned more complicated with the Congress fielding Transport Minister H.M. Revanna, a Kuruba leader and aide of Mr. Siddaramaiah. The Congress is eyeing the OBC and minority votes in the constituency dominated by the Vokkaliga community to which both his adversaries belong.
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Mr. Yogeshwara is banking on his irrigation work, particularly recharging groundwater by filling tanks in the villages with water from the Shimsha river. “We are getting groundwater at a depth of 400 ft compared with 1,500 ft previously, and the greenery has returned,” said Raje Gowda of Venkatarayanadoddi. The Congress says it is the Siddaramaiah government which provided ₹160 crore for filling 65 tanks
One rumour is that it is a Congress-JD(S) “friendly fight” to end the supremacy of Mr. Yogeshwar.