Karnataka Assembly elections have entered the final lap. The southern state has six regions and the elections in each region are also unique. As part of our special series, News18 reporters travelled to each of the six regions to gauge the pulse of the electorate and give a 360-degree view of which way the political wind is blowing.
Karnataka is witnessing the hottest summer in 20 years, the Cauvery and its tributaries—the lifeline of the old Mysore region, including state capital Bengaluru—are drying up fast, the people are desperately waiting for pre-monsoon showers, and, above all, they have an all-important Assembly election to vote in.
Both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress know that the route to Bengaluru goes through the Old Mysore region. The JDS is an old Mysore-centric sub-regional party whose very existence depends on its performance in this agrarian region, which is rapidly becoming an industrial hub.
Whichever party does well here, secures power in Bengaluru.
The region came to be known as Old Mysore after the British took control of Mysore Kingdom, defeating Tipu Sultan in 1799, and divided it into four parts. What is called Old Mysore today was returned to the Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore and it had eight districts for a long period of time.
Though Shimoga, Chickmagalur, Davanagere and Chitradurga are also part of Old Mysore region, during elections, they are classified as Central Karnataka districts. Minus Bengaluru with 28 seats, it has 62 Assembly seats where election is the fiercest.
Known as ‘Gowda heartland’, it has been dividing its loyalty into three factions –JDS, Congress, and the BJP a distant third.
Most of the bigwigs from the Congress and JDS, including Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar and HD Kumaraswamy, hail from this region, making the current election one of the most important electoral contests.
In battleground Mysore (with Chamarajanagara district with just four seats), there are 15 constituencies. Siddaramaiah is once again back to his native Varuna after his son and sitting MLA, Dr Yathindra, vacated it for his father. The BJP has fielded Housing Minister V Somanna against him. But Siddaramaiah looks formidable and there is a huge sympathy and support for him.
Not so surprisingly, Siddaramaiah has a lot of support even among the Lingayat community in Varuna.
Same is the case with DK Shivakumar in Kanakapura, not so far from Varuna. The BJP has fielded Revenue Minister R Ashoka against him. In this battle of the Gowdas, Shivakumar is already miles ahead because of his stranglehold over the seat.
The JDS and Congress have locked horns in eight seats in Mysore. JDS strongman GT Deve Gowda, who had defeated Siddaramaiah in Chamundeshwari in the 2018 elections, is seeking re-election. The Congress has fielded a Vokkaliga against him, hoping for a split in the Gowda votes.
GT Deve Gowda has also fielded his son GD Harish Gowda from Hunsur. Both father and son were ready to join the Congress a few months ago. But the switch did not materialise mainly because of Siddaramaiah’s opposition. Congress insiders feel the move would have wiped out the JDS in Mysore.
In Nanjunagud, the Congress has fielded Darshan Dhruvanarayan, son of KPCC working president Dhruvanarayan, who died two months ago. Less than month ago, Darshan had also lost his mother to cancer. The JDS has not fielded a candidate against him, making it an easy contest.
The BJP, which did well in 2018, is facing a tough battle this time. The resurgent Congress is giving it a hard time in at least six seats.
In the remaining eight seats, JDS and Congress have locked horns.
In Mandya and Hassan, where the JDS holds a sway over the majority voters, the Congress is trying to make a comeback. The BJP, which has two MLAs from these districts, is trying to retain them. But in KR Pete in Mandya, BJP’s Narayana Gowda is facing a lot of challenges as he won on a JDS ticket in 2018 and defected to the BJP under the so-called ‘Operation Kamala’ in 2019.
In the last election, the JDS swept Mandya district by winning all seats. This time, the Congress is ahead in at least three seats.
In Gowda fiefdom Hassan, the Congress was routed in 2018. This time, it is giving a good fight in only two seats (Sakleshpura and Arsikere). The wrong selection of candidates seems to have gone against the grand old party.
The BJP, which won Hassan Assembly seat in 2018, is facing a tough contest this time. It is giving a good fight in only two seats.
JDS supremo’s other son, HD Revanna, is seeking a sixth term from Holenarasipura, which was earlier held by his father, HD Deve Gowda from 1962 to 1989.
With a weak Congress candidate, yet another win for Revanna is a foregone conclusion unless something unexpected happens on May 10.
In battleground Tumkur, with 11 Assembly seats, the Congress, JDS and BJP have been fighting a fierce battle. Former KPCC president and deputy chief minister Dr G Parameshwara is fighting a tough battle in Koratagere. The recent attack on him seems to have earned him some sympathy.
Another Congress stalwart, TB Jayachandra, is fighting his 10th Assembly election. He has won six of these contests.
BJP ministers BC Nagesh and JC Madhuswamy are fighting a difficult battle this time in Tiptur and Chikkanayakanahalli, respectively. Against Madhuswamy in Chikkanayakanahalli, the Congress has fielded BJP turncoat Kiran Kumar to snatch the seat. In Tiptur, Nagesh is fighting a three-way battle against K Shadakshari of the Congress and Shanta Kumar of the JDS. A Brahmin, Nagesh is struggling to retain his seat in a Lingayat-dominated constituency where the Congress candidate is a Lingayat.
HD Deve Gowda, who lost his 2019 Lok Sabha election from Tumkur, has campaigned here to boost the chances of the JDS. In Bengaluru Rural and Ramanagara districts, the main fight is between the Congress and JDS.
HD Kumaraswamy is seeking re-election from prestigious Channapatna. The BJP has fielded habitual defector and former minister CP Yogishwar against him. Yogishwar is popular in the constituency and HDK can’t take this election for granted. His actor-son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is trying his luck from Ramanagara after his mother Anitha vacated the seat.
In Devanahalli, where Kempe Gowda International Airport is located, former Union minister, seven-time MP from Kolar and Dalit leader KH Muniyappa is contesting his first Assembly election. The JDS, which currently holds the seat, is giving him a good fight.
In neighbouring Hoskote and Chikkaballapura, the fight is intense as sitting MLAs Dr K Sudhakar of the BJP and Sharath Bachche Gowda of the Congress are fighting a big battle.
In Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts, the prospects of the Congress look bleak as the JDS is looking to sweep, with the BJP making inroads into the unconquered territory.
Former Assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar is facing a tough fight in Srinivasapura. He has contested in every Assembly election since 1978 and has won six of them.
In the dead gold mining town of Kolar Gold Fields or KGF, Roopa Shashidhar of the Congress is on a strong wicket. She is the daughter of KH Muniyappa.
A win in Old Mysore is most important for the Congress and BJP to cross the half-way mark of 113 seats in the Assembly. To retain its political existence, relevance and to create a hung Assembly, a big win here is most important for the JDS. If JDS loses Old Mysore, the story of the Gowda clan will be over.
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