Karnataka Assembly elections: In Varuna, which way is the wind blowing?

Low-profile Yathindra Siddaramiah makes his debut

Mysuru Karnataka: 28-04-2018: Recent photo of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah camapaigning for his son Dr Yathindra in Varuna constituency. PHOTO: M_A_SRIRAM (TO GO WITH SHANKER BENNUR STORY)

The 2018 Assembly elections in Karnataka will test the political mettle of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s soft-spoken and low- profile son Yathindra, who is contesting from Varuna, a seat his father has held till now.

While the seat is considered “safe” for Mr. Yathindra, his plunge into electoral politics has forced his father to move to the neighbouring constituency of Chamundeshwari, where he won by a wafer-thin 257 votes in 2006, and to fight in another seat — Badami in Bagalkot district.

The other brother

Mr. Yathindra, a pathologist by training, has been characterised as a “reluctant politician”, pressed into the field after the untimely death of his elder brother, Rakesh Siddaramaiah. A tag that, he says, is wholly undeserved.

“I was always interested in political issues; it’s not that I wasn’t interested in politics

per se , but I wasn’t sure whether I could pursue active politics. I was following up on what was happening in the country, and how my father’s government was doing and what the people’s perception of it was,” he says.

However, the sudden death of his brother in 2016 proved a turning point. “After my brother’s demise, somebody had to look after the constituency, only a year-and-a-half was left for the elections and my father was busy looking after the administration,” Mr. Yathindra said.

“So I came up with the idea that I would look after the constituency and not contest the seat. But once I came here, after dealing with people, doing their work, I slowly gained confidence. The local leaders and workers organically accepted me and presumed that I would be contesting the elections,” he told The Hindu .

Safe choice

He also denies that were it not to provide him a soft landing, his father would not have moved from Varuna, to what is considered a slightly dicey Chamundeshwari.

“My elder brother had been working in this constituency for the past 12 years and if he were alive, he would have been contesting from Varuna. Then too my father would have migrated to another constituency,” Mr. Yathindra said.

Local people agree that Mr. Yathindra is a replacement for his brother, though they are of different moulds. “Yathindra is more into the details of issues and is of a more humble mien, while Rakesh had a strut to him,” said Javana Gowda, who had come to watch the candidate’s roadshow at Uttinahalli village.

Mr. Yathindra says that his priority is generating local employment. “There is an educated populace here and there are also industries in Varuna. The expectations of those people are that they be given employment here — we need to tackle that,” he said. With his father fighting a tough and acrimonious battle, Mr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah has had to step up to the plate.