Varuna can’t have enough of its rough-hewn son

MYSURU: As the four-wheel drive split crowds on the freshly tarred road in Hullahalli, the skies, that were dark and heavy on Thursday morning, lightened considerably.
A gunman in earthy brown stood on the footboard, attempting to steer the throng, who were in no mood to listen. Slowly the passenger seat window rolled down and the reaction of the 100-odd gathered around Ahalya gate was as much in the sensation as in the sound.
There’s a lustre to Siddaramaiah in his Varuna assembly constituency. It reflected in the sheen of his ivory-hued kurta, in the gold of his spectacle frame. The smile sported the weight of age. His voice didn’t quite carry, but his hands reached out to his constituents, calling them by name. Nodding. Answering. Asking.
The area around Sri Basaveshwara Hotel, a kilometre from where Siddaramaiah began his campaign for the day, is a melange of caste and community — Lingayat, Kuruba and Vishwakarma.
“Who knows V Somanna? He’s not from here,” Mahadevaswamy, a local farmer, said of Siddaramaiah’s BJP rival in Varuna. “Sahebru is ours, he knows each of us by name. He treats all of us as equals, there are no caste barriers here.”
Manjula Manasa, an advocate, who wore many hats, revealed Siddaramaiah’s tone and manner, which is often described as hard, was only a reflection of the land they hailed from. “That is exactly how we speak,” she said, adding, “Our accent is rough. We are proud that he doesn’t change it even when he interacts with important people.”
Siddaramaiah hasn’t lost in Varuna since it was carved out as a segment, following delimitation in 2008. This time, besides Somanna, the 75-year-old is also up against Bharathi Shankar of JD(S) in a segment where the former CM will look to take the caste matrix in his stride.
Varuna has 2,34,533 voters, half of whom are women, and 261 polling booths. Pundits are calling the tussle tight.
In Kochanhalli, where Somanna stopped late in the day, accompanied by a convoy of cars, BJP’s might was there for all to see.
L Revannasiddaiah, a former top cop who is overseeing Somanna’s campaign in Nanjangud belt, believes Siddaramaiah has “lost steam”.
“It depends on the final four-five days and how Somanna responds to Siddaramaiah’s techniques,” said the IPS officer, who had oncecontested against Siddaramaiah in Varuna.
When asked if by “techniques” he meant that the 75-year-old was a ‘finisher’, Revannasiddaiah refused to elaborate.
At Siddaramanahundi, a village of about a dozen houses, confidence talks slowly, walks lightly. A yet to be completed house sits at the edge of the settlement where Siddaramaiah was born, overlooking lush sugarcane fields. A large, square-shaped photo is mounted on the entrance. A trope perhaps. That part about unfinished business.
It’s late in the evening when we pass Nagarle, where a crowd waits expectantly. “Is Somanna coming here?” “Don’t know,” says a youth.
“Who are you waiting for?” “Tagaru,” he shouts, looking up at the skies. His voice ripples through the moisture-laden air. Tagaru (ram) is a symbol of the Kuruba community. Just as well, in an election where the caste matrix is crucial.