The bungalow that brought many victories for Congress

Opening election office here has proved lucky for party candidates

Old-timers have a ‘special bond’ with the building, which belonged to the late Congress leader Sahukar Chennaiah. Photo: M.A. Sriram

In 2009, senior Congress leader and former Minister A.H. Vishwanath, who lost two consecutive elections to the Legislative Assembly from K.R. Nagar constituency in 2004 and 2008, won the election from Mysore Lok Sabha constituency, beating BJP’s C.H. Vijayashankar by a margin of 7,691 votes.

So what did Mr. Vishwanath do different?

He decided to make the century-old bungalow, which belonged to the late Congress leader Sahukar Chennaiah, his election office.

The building, which is looked after by Chennaiah’s family, is considered lucky for Congress candidates.

Even in the past, candidates have won the elections when the party opened its election office in this building.

What about this year?

The question is whether the Congress will have its election office in this building for the Assembly elections?

Situated in the heart of the city at Nazarbad, the two-storeyed heritage building hosted party meetings when Chennaiah was alive.

Old-timers have a ‘special bond’ with the building. The party’s district office is in the Devaraja Market building, which is also a heritage building.

Mysore District Congress Committee president C. Dase Gowda told The Hindu that a meeting of leaders and heads of the block Congress committees would be convened to decide on whether to open the election office at the bungalow.

“We have not made up our minds on whether to have a combined election office at this building or four offices in the four Assembly constituencies in Mysore. Mr. Vishwanath had opened his election office at this building and won the elections. It is considered lucky for the party’s candidates,” Mr. Gowda said.

Tanveer’s wins

The bungalow is in Narasimharaja constituency from where Tanveer Sait, son of veteran politician the late Azeez Sait, won three times in a row: the 2002 byelection from Narasimharaja constituency (following the death of his father), 2004 and 2008 elections. Mr. Tanveer Sait later became a Minister.

Mr. Gowda said party leaders would take a decision on the matter soon.

First used in 2002

Chennaiah’s bungalow was first made the party’s election office during the byelection to Narasimharaja constituency in 2002.

Following the Congress’s humiliating defeat in the Kanakapura Lok Sabha byelection in February 2002, the party was desperate to win the byelection from Narasimharaja.