Siddaramaiah hopping to Kolar may add to Congress worries in Mysuru

MYSURU: Congress workers in Kolar-Chikkaballapur may be elated about Opposition leader Siddaramaiah shifting base from Badami to Kolar, but it would only add to the party’s worries in Old Mysore region. The belt comprises more than 50 seats across Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and some other districts, is considered Siddaramaiah’s home turf, and a strong base of the Congress and its JDS. However, Siddaramaiah’s announcement to contest from Kolar has not gone down well with Congress leaders and cadres in Mysuru region, as the grand old party has no charismatic leader or substitute to take on the JDS and BJP.

Both these parties are focusing on Old Mysuru, and the stage is set for a crucial battle, with a triangular contest in many constituencies. The Congress may find it challenging to contain the influence of the JDS and BJP.

Though MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah has, on many occasions, announced that he would give up his seat for his father, Congress leaders from Chamundeshwari had appealed to Siddaramaiah to throw his hat into the ring from the constituency he lost in 2018, and stage a comeback. Siddaramaiah did not show interest, preferring Kolar over Chamundeshwari and Varuna. He also decided not to contest from Badami for logistical reasons.

Political experts say that Siddaramaiah has felt the pulse of the people of Kolar, who are happy with the LV Valley project that has helped fill up tanks, and his candidature has further raised their hopes.

Rival parties have accused Siddaramaiah of jumping to Kolar to protect his son’s interest in Varuna. The JDS, which hit the ground with the Pancharatna Yatra and set a target of 123 seats, has accused Siddaramaiah of betraying the people of Varuna and Badami. JDS leaders are likely to capitalise on Siddaramaiah’s second change of constituency, as he may be hard put to spell out why he dumped Badami.
The JDS, keen to regain its lost glory in Mysuru, has cemented its position by winning back a sulking G T Devegowda, and is expected to step up its attack on Siddaramaiah, branding him a “political nomad”, hopping from one constituency to another for his own advantage.

On the other hand, the BJP, that has a target of at least 35 seats in this belt, plans to field B Y Vijayendra and other young faces, and will try to take advantage of Siddaramaiah’s absence. Keen to cut into the JDS vote bank, the BJP is targeting Vokkaligas, and hopes the community will respond to the recent inauguration of the 108-ft Kempegowda statue at Kempegowda International Airport, setting up of the Vokkaliga Development Corporation, commissioning of MySugar factory at Mandya and its proposal to provide an additional 3% reservation for Vokkaligas under EWS category.

The Congress will be left defending Siddaramaiah’s move from Mysuru to Kolar, although there are senior leaders from the region who want to bury their differences and together take on a recharged JDS and BJP, that have planned to target Siddaramaiah from all quarters.