One day with Yeddyurappa: The saffron man’s green promises

8 a.m.: Mr. Yeddyurappa begins the day by offering prayers at Huchurayaswamy and Guru Raghavendra temples in Shikaripur town. By the time he returns to his residence in Malerakeri locality for breakfast, a large posse of party workers from neighbouring Haveri district are gathered. They want him to visit a few Assembly segments there where the party is weak. After a breakfast of fruit and rice gruel, he heads in a SUV towards Hosur village on the tar road that is also used as threshing and drying yard for maize, paddy and ragi in harvest season.

9.45 a.m.: Enroute Hosur, he lowers the window-glass of his SUV and greets farmers engaged in the work of harvesting ginger on the roadside. He visits the house Eshwarappa Gowda in Nallinakoppa, a maize grower who had incurred loss due to moisture stress caused by drought. While sipping punurpuli panaka (kokam juice) there to beat the heat, he interacts with few farmers. He assures them that, if elected to power, he would strive to provide permanent irrigation facility.

11.15 a.m.: At Hosur, he is welcomed by the BJP workers by bursting crackers. The women offer him customary aarti and apply tilak on his forehead. He again speaks here on implementation of Tungabhadra lift irrigation project and conferring title deeds for bagair hukum farmers.

1.30 p.m.: By the time he returns to his residence, the heads of booth-level committees of Shikaripur segment are gathered there for a brain-storming session.

2.45 p.m.: After a meal of jowar roti with green gram sprouts curry, he telephones a party activist from Shiralakoppa who is upset for being neglected requests him to work actively in the campaigning with assurance to provide him suitable political opportunity in future.

3 p.m.: Addressing the gathering at Bendekatte taanda, a settlement of Banajaras on a saffron-hued specially fabricated goods carrier, fitted with loud speakers and lights with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party national president Amit Shah pasted on it, he and his son B.Y. Raghavendra speaks few words in Banajar dialect.... At Dindadahalli, Mr. Yeddyurappa meets Ramavva, a 92-year old woman who had actively campaigned for him in his first two elections (1983 and 1985). He snacks on mandakki (puffed rice) and mirchi bajji with jaggery tea at a local roadside eatery.

5.45 p.m.: At Sanklapura village, he lashes out at Congress government for not initiating the process of procurement of maize. As the maize price had slumped owing to demand-supply mismatch, the State government should have come to the rescue of the farmers, he says. Like elsewhere, he signs of by reminding the voters that they are voting for a candidate whom the BJP has declared as its chief ministerial candidate.

8.30 p.m.: As he returns home, few leaders from Davangere and Dharwad districts are waiting for him with a request to convince the rebels in their places to withdraw the nomination.... The night is clearly still young for Yeddyurappa