Despite Varuna swerve, battle for Mysuru a compelling one

The last date for filing nomination for the Assembly elections ended on Tuesday, and 149 candidates have filed papers for 10 out of the 11 Assembly segments in Mysuru district. Details of the number of candidates who have filed nominations papers from Varuna constituency were being scrutinised at the time of going to press.

After April 27, the last date for withdrawing nominations, the final line-up of candidates will become clear.

The district is under special focus being the home turf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who will contest from Chamundeshwari constituency (apart from Badami) and is pitted against Janata Dal (S) leader and MLA G.T. Deve Gowda.

In the neighbouring Varuna constituency, Yathindra, son of Mr. Siddaramaiah, is in the fray as Congress candidate. But the Bharatiya Janata Party’s refusal to allot party ticket to B.Y. Vijayendra, son of State BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa, has taken the sheen off the constituency which was expected to witness a high-profile tussle between the two “rising sons”. The BJP has fielded the relatively unknown T. Basavaraju to take on Mr. Yathindra.

Other prominent candidates who have filed their nominations include are A.H. Vishwanath, the former Congress leader who is now with the JD(S) and has entered the fray from Hunsur; S.R. Mahesh of the JD(S), who is seeking re-election from Krishnaraja Nagar; and Public Works Minister H.C. Mahadevappa from T. Narsipur.

In Mysuru urban area, the prominent candidates in the fray include Minister Tanveer Sait, seeking re-election on Congress ticket from Narasimharaja, former University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor H.S. Rangappa, who is the JD (S) candidate for Chamaraja, and M.L. Somashekar of the JD(S), seeking re-election from Krishnaraja. The BJP has fielded councillor S. Satheesh as its candidate from NR segment and former Minister S.K. Ramdas from Krishnaraja.

Apart from the mainstream political parties, there are a considerable number of Independents and regional party candidates in the fray. The regional parities with a small base ready for poll battle include the Kannada Paksha, Kannada Prajnavantha Janata Party, Swaraj India, All-India Mahila Empowerment Party, Ambedkarite Party of India, Bharatiya Republican Paksha, and Bharatiya Janashakti Congress.

There are nearly 24.32 lakh voters in the district, about 50% of whom are women.

In Kodagu

In the neighbouring Kodagu district, 25 nomination papers have been filed for the two Assembly segments of Madikeri and Virajpet. While 14 nominations have been filed for Madikeri, 11 have been submitted in Virajpet.