Two political careers on the line in Bijapur

It’s almost like a ‘do or die’ situation for veterans Jigajinagi and Rathod

The stakes are high for two political veterans — Ramesh Jigajinagi, the incumbent MP of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Prakash Rathod of the Congress — in the Lok Sabha elections to be held in less than a fortnight.

Interestingly, in the last election, Mr. Jigajinagi defeated Mr. Rathod, and their respective political parties have fielded the same candidates again. The coming election is perceived as a ‘do or die’ contest for both candidates as their political careers will virtually end, based on the poll outcome.

While his age may not allow Mr. Jigajinagi to contest again in elections, Mr. Rathod too will have a herculean task to stay in politics, if he is defeated in this election as he has a history of having lost in the Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly polls.

The candidates, who appear to be clearly aware of the situation, are investing every ounce of their energy in campaigning.

Since the anti-incumbency factor is apparently against Mr. Jigajinagi, he is only riding on the ‘Modi-wave’, hoping that it will help him don the victory hat again. This is believed to be the core reason why he ensured prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi campaigned in Bijapur. When he did, he attracted a huge crowd.

The factor that is going in favour of Mr. Rathod is the support of the seven Congress MLAs of the district, and the presence of a ruling government in the State. It is learnt that the Congress, in order to give a boost to its campaign, is contemplating bringing Congress president Sonia Gandhi to address the rally here.

Amid this, a political novice is making his presence felt in Bijapur on Janata Dal (Secular) ticket. K. Shivaram, former IAS officer who belongs to the Chalavadi community, is hoping to garner a major chunk of votes from his community as among Dalits, this community is majority in the district.

However, many political analysts believe that while the winning prospects for Mr. Shivaram are remote, he may be a spoiler for the other candidates, especially for Mr. Jigajinagi, as he too is a Dalit.

Apart from him, of the total 14 candidates, 13 are Dalits, including the AAP which has fielded Sridhar Narayankar, a 28-year old candidate. The presence of so many candidates belonging to the Dalit community could adversely affect Mr. Jigajinagi’s calculations.

With no other Lambani in the fray, the balance can tilt in favour of Mr. Rathod.