With Siddaramaiah's exit, Congress aspirants up their ante in Badami

BADAMI (BAGALKOT): With Congress strongman Siddaramaiah opting to contest from Varuna/Kolar in South Karnataka in the upcoming elections to state assembly, several second-rung Congress leaders have thrown their hats in the arena and have been pulling strings to get the party's ticket.
In the last 15 elections to the assembly since 1951, Congress has won 10 times, BJP twice and Janata Dal, Janata Party and Independent once each from Badami. Balappa Bhimappa Chimmanakatti has the distinction of representing the constituency for five terms (1978, 1983, 1994, 1999 and 2013), while Mahagundappa Kallappa Pattanashetti has won three times (1989, 2004 and 2008). He has won twice on BJP ticket and once on Janata Dal ticket. RT Desai was elected on Congress ticket in 1972 and on Janata Party ticket in 1985.
BB Chimmanakatti who belongs to Kuruba community is a prominent Congress leader in the constituency and was highly upset when the Congress decided to field Siddaramaiah from Badami as well, fearing a defeat in Chamundeshwari. Chimmanakatti had openly expressed his displeasure over being denied a ticket in favour of another Kuruba leader Siddaramaiah. However, he was placated and Siddaramaiah scraped through a slender margin of 1,696 votes against B Sriramulu of BJP. In 2013, Chimmanakatti had won with a margin of over 15,000 votes.
The BJP top brass had imported Sriramulu hoping that he would effectively counter Siddaramaiah by bagging SC/ST votes, taking the support of Lingayats for granted. Though unhappy over being denied ticket for a man from their community, Lingayats supported BJP as BS Yediyurappa was projected as the party's chief ministerial candidate.
Now, BB Chimmanakatti, whose health condition deters him from being active in electoral politics, is promoting his son Bhimsen. The family is prominently engaged in the management of educational institutions. Bhimsen who had earlier opposed Siddaramaiah later fell in line and claimed that Siddaramaiah was his leader.
Now with Siddaramaiah's exit, Bhimsen is eyeing the Congress ticket. The constituency has sizeable number of Kuruba voters and the previous elections have been tussles between the Kurubas and Lingayats. Mahesh Hosagoudar and Anil Daddi, both Kurubas, are also vying for the ticket.
BJP is expected to correct its previous mistake and field a Lingayat as its candidate. BJP taluk president ST Patil, Mahantesh Mamadapur and MK Pattanashetti are aspiring for the saffron party's ticket.