The southern Karnataka districts of the Old Mysore region have come under sharp focus in the run-up to the Assembly election, with the BJP upping the ante for a share in the electoral pie that has, so far, largely been shared by the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress.
Stretching from Chamarajanagar, at the southern-most tip of the State, to the Bengaluru Rural district — through the Cauvery heartland of the Mysuru, Mandya and Ramanagaram districts, besides Hassan, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Tumkur — the region comprises not only the core of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s support base, but also the strongholds of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar in Mysuru and Kanakapura, respectively.
Dominated by Vokkaligas
Even though the appeal of the JD(S) has remained limited in the rest of the State over the last few elections, the southern Karnataka districts dominated by Vokkaligas, a land-owning agrarian community, have stood firmly by the party, now helmed by Mr. Gowda’s son and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. The region has accounted for a lion’s share of the Assembly seats won by the party since the 2008 Assembly election.
However, the appointment of Mr. Shivakumar, a Vokkaliga, as the KPCC chief and his aspiration to occupy the Chief Minister’s post is expected to pose a threat to the hold of the JD(S) in parts of the region.
Crucial for BJP
While the JD(S) and the Congress have been sharing the electoral spoils in the region in successive elections, the BJP has come to realise that its failure to cobble up a majority in the Assembly corresponds to the party’s inability to win enough seats in southern Karnataka.
Though the BJP has emerged as the single largest party in the State thrice – in 2004, 2008 and 2018 – it has fallen short of the numbers required to secure a majority in the Assembly. In 2008 and 2019, the party could form the government only by engineering defections from rival parties through Operation Kamala.
Hence, the saffron party, which has set its eyes on making inroads in the region, has already organised campaign appearances, not only by Home Minister Amit Shah, but also Prime Minister Narendra Modi who came to inaugurate the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway in Mandya. Earlier this week, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath began his Karnataka campaign again from Mandya.
Failed Tipu narrative
The BJP, however, suffered a setback when it tried to build a narrative around Tipu Sultan, the erstwhile ruler of Mysuru, claiming that he was slain by Vokkaliga warriors named Urigowda and Doddananjegowda. Apart from the absence of historical records to back such a claim, the disapproval of the Seer of the Adichunchanagiri Mutt Sri Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji, regarding a proposal by film producer-turned- BJP Minister Munirathna to produce a movie on “Urigowda and Doddananjegowda”, has hit the BJP hard.
The BJP, which does not have any tall leaders in the region, has gambled by fielding Housing Minister V. Somanna, a Lingayat, against Mr. Siddaramaiah in the Varuna constituency and Revenue Minister R. Ashok, a Vokkaliga, against Mr. Shivakumar in Kanakapura. Both, however, have been given a back-up constituency in view of the “risk” involved. Notwithstanding the outcome, the BJP’s decision to field Mr. Somanna may help the saffron party consolidate the votes of the Lingayats present in considerable numbers in parts of the region.
Multiple yatras
Poll campaigning in the region had virtually started seven months ago when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi entered Karnataka on September 30 last year as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra. He marched through the Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya and Tumkur districts, amid the hype over the Congress’ corruption charges against the BJP government, using its “40% commission” and “PayCM” campaigns.
When it was time for the BJP to hold the national executive meeting of its Scheduled Caste Morcha in January this year, the party chose Mysuru as the venue. Dalits comprise a large chunk of voters in the Old Mysore region, second only to the Vokkaligas, a party leader said. The BJP followed this by launching one of its Vijay Sankalpa Yatras from the M.M. Hills in Chamarajanagar, which passed through the districts of Mysuru, Mandya and Hassan.
The stakes are high in the southern Karnataka region for the JD(S), which led its Pancharatna Yatra through 90 assembly constituencies across the State, but chose Mysuru as the venue to mobilise a mammoth gathering for the valedictory of the Yatra. The party’s patriarch, Mr. Gowda, made his first public appearance in many months at the event.
Defending JD(S) territory
During the last Assembly election in 2018, the JD(S) virtually swept the Mandya and Hassan districts, except for one seat bagged by the BJP. It also put up a spirited performance in the Mysuru, Ramanagaram and Tumkur districts, competing mostly with the Congress throughout the region and with the BJP in parts of Mysuru, Tumkur and Hassan districts.
Out of the 59 Assembly constituencies in the southern Karnataka districts of Chamaranagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Ramanagaram, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Tumkur, the JD(S) had won as many as 29 during the 2018 election, while the Congress had to be content with 19 seats. The BJP won in nine constituencies, while the BSP and an independent bagged one seat each. During the bypolls held in 2019-20 — after the B.S. Yediyurappa-led BJP government came to power with the support of 17 rebellious Congress and JD(S) MLAs — the BJP had managed to win the KR Pet, Chikkaballapur and Sira constituencies, while the Congress won Hunsur, also in the region.
It remains to be seen if the JD(S) continues to dominate the electoral space in the region or yields ground to the Congress, its traditional rival, and the BJP, which is making an aggressive push, in the upcoming Assembly poll.
