Bypoll: At Hangal, it is a proxy battle between Basavaraj Bommai, Siddaramaiah

HANGAL (HAVERI): Though the contest in Hangal assembly constituency is mainly between the BJP and Congress, it has turned out to be a proxy fight between chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and former chief minister Siddaramaiah as they apparently consider it as an opportunity to further strengthen their hold in their respective parties.
A fierce electoral campaign has been witnessed between the two parties for a week in the segment, which is about 400km from Bengaluru. The bypoll will be held on October 30.

While BJP has fielded former MLA and former CM BS Yediyurappa’s close aide Shivaraj Sajjanar, MLC Srinivas Mane is the Congress candidate. The JD(S) has fielded Niyaz Shaik. Interestingly, none of them are natives of Hangal which makes it a battle of ‘outsiders’.
Though the outcome will have no consequences on the BJP government, it may set tone for the 2023 assembly polls and this has prompted both the parties to invest heavily on campaigning.
CM's prestige issue
The victory in this bypoll is as important for chief minister Basavaraj Bommai as it is to Sajjanar. Because, it is the first election that is being fought under his leadership. Moreover, Hangal falls under his home district Haveri. The victory would give a stamp of approval for his leadership and help him lead the party into the 2023 assembly polls without any hindrance. A loss, on the other hand, would certainly raise questions on his leadership abilities besides putting him on a shaky wicket within the party. Because, many senior leaders are said to be sulking after the high command announced that the party will face the 2023 elections under Bommai's leadership.
Knowing it well, the CM has been leaving no stone unturned and he has been camping in Hangal for the past few days, reaching every nook and corner. He also ensured Yediyurappa campaigned in the constituency for three days to woo Lingayats who are in majority. Bommai has also made several of his cabinet ministers camp in the constituency and reach out to voters of their respective castes and communities. This apart, the BJP is banking on the natural advantage it has being the ruling party and also on development works done by former minister late CM Udasi, whose death necessitated this bypoll. But there are reports that the denial of tickets to a family member of Udasi has not gone down well with their supporters. The party is also highlighting what they call a successful Covid vaccination drive by the Modi government to appeal to young voters.
Cong's trumpcard
The Congress is depending on the goodwill it's candidate Mane has earned for his generous help he extended to the people of the constituency during the pandemic. Mane, who lost to late CM Udasi in 2018 by over 6,000 votes, said to have been camping in the constituency and working with the people since his defeat.
The party is also hoping that the rising prices of commodities, especially that of fuel and the alleged failure of the PM to fulfil his poll promises on employment generation and development, would help it. All leaders have been raising these issues in their rallies. The alleged irregularities by Sajjanar when he was the vice-president of Sanguru Sugar Mill is also being highlighted by the Congress.
JD(S)' weak presence
The JD(S), which has fielded Niyaz Shaik with an eye on 35,000 Muslim votes, seems to be lacking in electioneering due to its poor organisational presence in the constituency. The fact that former PM HD Deve Gowda and former CM HD Kumaraswamy have set their entire focus on Sindgi is in itself an indication that the party is not a serious contender.
But many people believe that Shaik along with independent candidate Nazeer Ahmed Savanur, a two-time former president of Hangal town panchayat, may dent the Congress’ prospects by eating into minority votes.