The Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency represents a diverse mix of urban areas comprising of the historic city of Mysuru, the suburban outskirts with the agrarian and rural regions of Hunsur and Periyapatna, and the mountainous and scenic landscape of adjoining Kodagu district.
Though the Lok Sabha constituency, which is part of the Old Mysore region, has been traditionally a political battleground for the Congress and JD(S), the BJP’s support base has been growing in recent years, thus setting up a triangular fight in the elections.
The BJP, which first broke the Congress’ impregnable hold on the parliamentary constituency in 1998 with its then candidate C.H. Vijayshankar’s victory, has emerged a force to reckon with having recorded emphatic victories in the constituency in 2004 and 2014.
It is ironic that victory has been a foreign word for the JD(S), even though it enjoys widespread support in the constituency, particularly among the predominant Vokkaliga population. Even little-known JD(S) candidates had performed well in the past couple of Lok Sabha elections, almost sniffing a victory.
After the coalition government came into being last year, the JD(S) had staked a claim over the seat. But one of its leaders from the region, Minister for Higher Education G.T. Deve Gowda, confessed that the party had no candidate other than party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda to contest from the seat.
With the former Prime Minister preferring to enter the fray from Tumakuru, the JD(S) ceded the seat to alliance partner Congress. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s supporter, C.H. Vijayshankar, who quit the BJP and joined the Congress ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections, was chosen as the party candidate.
This has given Mr. Vijayshankar, who has incidentally won the seat twice earlier as a BJP candidate, an opportunity to settle scores with the BJP and its candidate Pratap Simha as he is still smarting over the way he had to cede his seat for youngster Simha in the 2014 elections. He was forced to contest from Hassan, where he lost to Mr. Deve Gowda.
Though on paper, Mr. Vijayshankar should sail through, with coalition partner JD(S)’s support, the ground reality is quite different.
There is a question mark over the coalition candidate actually receiving support from the JD(S) cadres in Mysuru.
The JD(S) cadre, who have traditionally fought the Congress for their political survival, have been vocal in opposing the alliance.
The Congress-JD(S) rivalry in the region, which became more pronounced after Mr. Siddaramaiah quit the JD(S) and joined the Congress 13 years ago, took on caste tones, driving a deeper wedge between the parties. The Kurubas, the community to which Mr. Siddaramaiah belongs, were pitted against the Vokkaligas, who, by and large, stand by the JD(S).
Even though the constituency comprises a substantial number of Lingayats, Kurubas, Dalits, Nayakas, Brahmins, and Muslims, political observers feel that the Vokkaliga vote will play a crucial role in the ensuing elections in Mysuru.
What will be crucial is whether the public support declared by JD(S) leaders for Mr. Vijayshankar, incidentally a Kuruba, would percolate to the grass-roots level.
Mr. Pratap Simha, a Vokkaliga, may corner the votes of the disgruntled JD(S) supporters and upset the apple cart of the coalition candidate.