Six-time MLA Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, who is taking on Anjali Nimbalkar of the Congress in Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, says he is a ‘known face’ in the constituency and knows the local issues better due to his long association with the area.
Mr. Hegde had earlier served as Speaker of the Assembly and as Primary and Secondary Education Minister in the government of Karnataka. He is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s achievements and efforts towards boosting the country’s image as these are national elections.
Excerpts from the interview with The Hindu:
What are the main poll issues in Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency?
The achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 10 years and the manner in which he has boosted the image of the country have reached the common people here. In addition, the construction of Ram mandir too has created goodwill among people here. These are the national elections, and not panchayat polls. But the Congress is trying to reduce the focus and dignity of these polls by resorting to advertisements about chembu (Congress’ advertisements likening the Centre’s contribution to Karnataka to an empty pot). The Congress has nothing to its credit when it comes to development works of the constituency, and people know it. Like other Malnad areas, this constituency has the age-old problem of people who have built their houses long ago not having land records in their names because it is technically forest land. The Congress is being blamed for it as it was the Congress that ruled Karnataka and the country when it happened. The Congress also failed to improve rail network for the region when in power.
Of the eight Assembly segments in this Lok Sabha constituency, two are in Belagavi district. Being a person from Uttara Kannada, how will you connect with people in Belagavi district?
Belagavi is not new to me as I had been associated with the district since 1991. I worked as Belagavi district in-charge for the BJP organisation for four years. Also as Education Minister, I have sanctioned several works for Belagavi district.
Your predecessor Ananth Kumar Hegde, who represented this Lok Sabha seat six times, is not actively campaigning after being denied the ticket. Will it make the contest tough?
No, because Ananth Kumar Hegde was elected on a BJP ticket. Naturally, the votes that he got will remain with the BJP. Also, he has never opposed the party, or me.
Though you are a six-time MLA, you are contesting the Lok Sabha polls for the first time. What are your advantages?
I have toured different areas of the constituency two to three times after I was declared the candidate. I am a known face in all the areas, including the two Assembly segments in Belagavi district. Also, I know the local issues better compared to my Congress opponent.
The Congress has been banking on its guarantee schemes. What is the political influence of Congress guarantee schemes in this Lok Sabha seat?
The guarantee schemes are not being implemented effectively. They are different from what was actually promised before the polls. The fact that the Congress government has increased the cost of various service deliveries, including the power tariff and revenue transactions, had nullified the effect of guarantee schemes, as people think that they are being burdened.
