The presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu at the joint election campaign of Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) in Raichur on Friday was to reach out to not only native Telugu speakers, who are in large numbers here, but also a big chunk of voters who hail from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and are settled here in the last decade.
Friday’s visit by Mr. Naidu was his second to the State in a week after his campaign in Mandya in favour of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s son K. Nikhil.
JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda had gone to Andhra Pradesh to campaign for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).
An estimated 70,000 voters of Andhra Pradesh origin reside in Raichur and neighbouring Koppal (Gangavati area) Lok Sabha constituencies where Congress candidates are the coalition nominees.
The region is considered “rice bowl” of Karnataka, a result of water availability from the Tungabhadra reservoir in Ballari district. Being a border district, this region has a good number of Telugu speakers.
“A large number of Andhra Pradesh-origin people, who took land on lease about a decade ago in the rice growing area, have settled down permanently. They have now bought land. They are neither completely with the Congress nor with the BJP,” a senior leader from Raichur JD(S) unit said. “These voters have so far maintained good relationship with their friends and relatives in Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Naidu’s presence and appeal to such voters can send the right signal,” sources said.
Mr. Naidu is scheduled for another visit on April 21, the last day of campaigning for elections in the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in north Karnataka that are going to the polls on April 23.
According to the schedule, he will be campaigning in Ramanagar in Koppal district and Sindhanur in Raichur district.