Kunchatiga seer calls on HDK family, sets off buzz

TUMAKURU: While political pundits and the three major political parties are busy making their own assessments of the Sira bypoll outcome, a quick visit by Kunchitiga Vokkaliga seer Nanjavaduta Swami of Pattanayakanahalli Spatikapuri mutt to former CM H D Kumaraswamy’s residence in Bengaluru on Friday, sparked off speculation. 

After exchanging pleasantries, the seer also had a word with Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha and Nikhil’s wife Revathi were also present. Though the seer had chosen not to cast his vote, indications were that he might have sympathised with the JDS.The JDS leaders are also banking on clinching a majority Kunchatiga Vokkaliga community votes, as it had supported late B Sathyanarayana. His wife Ammajamma is the party candidate for the bypoll. “JDS patriarch H D Deve Gowda had pitched tent in the constituency, which will help get more Vokkaliga votes in favour of Ammajamma. After realising this, the spirit in BJP camp dampened on polling day itself,” said Belli Lokesh, a JDS leader.

This apart, the families that got title deeds under ‘bagair hukum’ land scheme when Sathyanarayana was the MLA and 15,000 people who got benefited from the loan waiver declared by H D Kumaraswamy have also voted for the JDS, he claimed.But the BJP, which has fielded Dr C P Rajesh Gowda, is banking on the SC (left) community votes.

Deputy DCM Govinda Karjol and Chitradurga MP Anekal Narayanaswamy had campaigned aggressively to garner the community votes.The AHINDA grouping has been the traditional vote bank of Congress candidate T B Jayachandra, former CM Siddaramaiah, former DyCM Dr G Parameshwara and rebel Congress leader K N Rajanna helped logistically.