When caste equations come into play, disqualified MLA gets ignored

R. Shankar finds himself out of the picture as BJP has opted for Guttur to woo the Lingayat voters

While the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) are making all-out efforts to ensure the defeat of the disqualified MLAs in all their constituencies, Ranebennur Assembly Constituency presents a completely different picture. For R. Shankar, one of the disqualified MLAs, is not in the poll fray here.

Here, Krishnappa B. Koliwad, the 20th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, who lost the 2018 election against Mr. Shankar of the Karnataka Prajnavantha Janata Party (KPJP), is the Congress nominee. He has won in five elections and suffered equal number of defeats in the constituency, which was once the forte of the Congress. While members of the Janata Parivar had registered victories here, local leader G. Shivanna had helped the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrest the constituency from the Congress in 2004, which he retained in 2008.

It was only after many BJP leaders walked out of the party and joined the Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) that the constituency went back to the Congress in 2013, only to be snatched back by the candidate of the newly formed KPJP, Mr. Shankar, in 2018. Mr. Shankar, initially upset with being denied ticket, seems to have been pacified with Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa offering him the post of an MLC and a ministerial berth after the elections. But how effectively he would canvass in the constituency is the moot point.

The bypoll has provided another opportunity to Mr. Koliwad, who was reportedly contemplating retirement from electoral politics after his last debacle. Now, Mr. Koliwad is canvassing extensively, conveying to the public that it would be his last election. A Raddi Lingayat, Mr. Koliwad is banking on the party’s traditional vote base.

Caste calculations

Meanwhile, caste calculations are behind the BJP’s surprise choice of candidate for the constituency. Instead of Basavaraj Kelagar, who finished third with over 40,000 votes in the 2018 election, it has chosen Arunkumar Guttur who secured just over 9,000 votes in 2013. Dr. Kelagar, who belongs to the Nekar community, is upset and efforts are on to pacify him.

Demographically, the Lingayat community forms a major chunk of the electorate in Ranebennur constituency, and the BJP’s choice of Mr. Guttur seems to be based on the sizeable number of Lingayat Panchamasali voters in the constituency. But how he would fare against a seasoned politician such as Mr. Koliwad is the big question. Kurubas and Muslims are also in good numbers in the constituency.

While the JD(S) has fielded Mallikarjunappa Halageri, this is unlikely to make much of a difference as the stage is already set for a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP.

In the BJP camp, the workers have begun seeking votes in the name of ensuring victory for Mr. Yediyurappa, the Lingayat face of the party. Earlier promises of the candidates about checking illegal sand mining and ensuring development of the constituency have been put on the back burner.