Will there be a rise in the fortunes of Mysuru consequent to Siddaramaiah being sworn in as the Chief Minister of the State?
That is the question doing rounds among stakeholders of different sectors including tourism, heritage which has a bearing on Mysuru’s economy.
Mr. Siddaramaiah in his first tenure as the Chief Minister, had broad-based socio-economic programmes through various Bhagya schemes like Anna Bhagya, Shaadi Bhagya, Shoe Bhagya besides creating boards and corporations for the development of different communities. The focus was on socio-economic empowerment of the weaker section across the State.
For Mysuru city a slew of hospitals were sanctioned and completed apart from the construction of a new building and campus for Maharani’s College, to name a few while the industrial area in Nanjangud was expanded.
Speaking on conditions of anonymity a section of the stakeholders said that Mr. Siddaramaiah’s tenure as the Chief Minister from 2013 to 2018 did not have anything memorable or tangible for either tourism or heritage for which Mysuru is known. Whether his second tenure will result in Mysuru-specific programmes remains to be seen, said the stakeholders.
But they also reasoned that though Mysuru’s political importance and clout may ascend coinciding with Mr.Siddaramaiah’s rise, it may not automatically translate into region-specific growth or development of Mysuru city per se because as the Chief Minister, he has the entire State to contend with.
But back in Siddaramanahundi, the native village of Siddaramaiah, people take pride in the fact that their ‘’son’’ is assuming the mantle of the chief ministership for the second time and point out that he is the second leader from the district after D.Devaraja Urs. The latter was originally from Kalahalli in Hunsur and had two tenures asChief Minister; from 1972-77 and again from 1978-80.
But Kalahalli is also an indicator to prove that development of the hometowns or native villages of the Chief Ministers is not automatic. Kalahalli fails to live up to the image of its more famous son and is caught in a time wrap, retaining much of the backwardness associated with rural areas.
The village came to limelight when the birth centenary of Devaraja Urs was celebrated in 2015 but lapsed into oblivion again. Siddaramanahundi from where Mr. Siddaramaiah hails, also retains its rural features but given its proximity to Mysuru is relatively better off compared to Kalahalli.
While Mysuru’s political clout is set to rise, will it also translate to a corresponding rise in its economic fortunes remains to be seen.
