After remaining bitter political rivals for decades, burying the hatchet and working together does not appear to come easy to the Congress and JD(S) workers of Old Mysore region.
Forced to unite after the coalition partners decided to face the November 3 byelections in the State together, Congress and JD(S) workers are just about managing a show of solidarity in Mandya, the hotbed of Vokkaliga politics, and Shivamogga, which was nurtured by the BJP’s Lingayat strongman B.S. Yeddyurappa.
In Mandya, local Congress leaders and workers mark their presence whenever their State leaders, such as former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, are touring the region, holding meetings and roadshows. But they are rarely seen putting their heart into the campaign for L.R. Shivarame Gowda of the JD(S), the joint candidate of the two parties.
Several Congress leaders, including JD(S) rebels N. Cheluvarayaswamy and Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda, who unsuccessfully contested this year’s Assembly elections, are known to have reservations about the alliance with the JD(S).
Mr. Siddaramaiah, too, admitted to a sense of unease among Congress workers in campaigning alongside the JD(S) leaders with whom they had fought for decades. Yet, after speaking to the disgruntled Congress leaders of Mandya, including Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy, he was hopeful of party workers participating in the electioneering for the chosen candidate.
The apparent absence of bonhomie between Congress and JD(S) workers has not been missed by JD(S) leaders, including Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy who, while campaigning in Mandya on Friday, appealed to Congress leaders and workers to work for the victory of Mr. Shivarame Gowda.
However, Mandya District Congress Committee president C.D. Gangadhar begs to differ. “The Congress has organised six meetings so far in different parts of the constituency to campaign for the JD(S) candidate,” he said.
BJP’s weapon
The BJP, on the other hand, is trying to capitalise on the differences between the alliance partners. Its leader R. Ashok recently said Congress supporters who were divided over the tie-up with the JD(S) would be voting for the BJP candidate.
This is a factor in Ramanagaram Assembly constituency too. With the BJP having lured Congress MLC C.M. Lingappa’s son Chandrashekar into the party fold and fielded him as its candidate, many of his supporters are believed to have stayed away from the electioneering for Anitha Kumaraswamy, wife of the Chief Minister.
But a section of JD(S) leaders is not attaching much importance to the lack of enthusiasm among Congress workers in campaigning. They are optimistic about their party’s sway over the electorate of Mandya and Ramanagaram, citing its “clean sweep” in the recently Assembly elections in Mandya as an example.
Even in Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency, where JD(S) candidate Madhu Bangarappa is facing the BJP’s B.Y. Raghavendra, the absence of warmth and camaraderie among the cadres of JD(S) and Congress is apparent in Bhadravathi and Thirthahalli Assembly segments.
Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Mr. Siddaramaiah, and veteran Congress leader Kagodu Thimmappa have appealed to workers of both parties to put aside their differences and work together to wrest the seat from the BJP.
Though the local leaders of the two parties share the dais during campaign meetings, the bonhomie is missing during on-field activities, including ward-level and mohalla-level meetings and door-to-door visits. The two parties are planning a big joint rally in Shivamogga by the end of this month, with bigwigs coming together on the stage.
