Bangalore, Apr 18 : Barring the lone exception of former Congress chief minister R Gundu Rao in 1989, non-Congress leaders have continuously won from Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency.  And, BJP national general secretary and former union minister Ananth Kumar, who is now seeking re-election for the fifth consecutive term, has been its representative since 1996.

Krishna Bhyregowda


No wonder, therefore, that the BJP has been considering Bangalore South has its stronghold. With BJP coming to power on its own in last year’s Karnataka assembly polls, which incidentally were held after the delimitation

Ananth Kumar

of constituencies, the ruling party has more reasons to feel secure as it had bagged five out of the eight assembly segments leaving three for Congress.  As if to increase its clout further, BJP managed to entice an influential Lingayat community leader V Somanna, who had won on Congress ticket from Govindarajanagar, to resign his seat and join its ranks. Thus, BJP effectively holds sway over six of the eight assembly segments.
Given Kumar’s stature in BJP and his close rapport with the party’s national leadership from L K Advani, Rajnath Singh, Venkaiah Naidu, Arun Jaitely and others and considering the fact that the party is ruling the state, victory in Bangalore South should have been a cakewalk. However, Kumar has been busy straining his nerves and camping in the constituency instead of helping the 16 party candidates in the state, whose fate is to be decided along with him, on April 23.

Why this nervousness in a leader who is considered better qualified, talented, versatile and more capable than even chief minister B S Yeddyurappa to lead the saffron charge in the state? There are several factors to explain why Bangalore South is no longer the strong BJP fortress that it was that Kumar could feel complacent as before.

For starters, Kumar-Yeddyurappa relationship is not that hunky-dory.  Though the duo used to be quite close, it is common knowledge that the two were at loggerheads with each other over the selection of party candidates in several constituencies, especially the choice of CM’s son B Y Raghavendra in Shimoga and other relatives of ministers, as it went against the party’s declared stand against dynasty politics. 

Prof K E Radhakrishn

In fact, Yeddyurappa-Kumar tussel for supremacy almost led to a vertical split in the state unit in a      the not-too-distant past.  Despite the recent patch-up between CM and Kumar, rumours are afloat in party circles that the former is out to settle scores with the latter.
The character and composition of Bangalore South constituency, especially after its delimitation, should explain Kumar’s predicament.  With roughly 20 lakh voters and a little less than half belonging to the fair sex, comprising highly literate and not-so educated, not just the rich but the super-rich as also the middle class and poorer sections, the constituency represents the microcosm of what is widely hailed as India’s Silicon Valley. It epitomizes the fast-growing face of the city comprising some of the old parts as also the posh and upmarket pockets and fast-growing suburbs, under-developed pockets and even villages crying for attention and facilities. While the educated and affluent urban voters have been generally considered to be pro-BJP, it is equally true that they can never be taken for granted or easily swayed.
And, if one were to go purely by caste composition, which has become an important consideration in the present social and political context, the dice seems to be loaded against BJP. While roughly 3.5 lakh voters belong to the politically powerful Vokkaliga community, which holds sway in the Old Mysore region and is by and large inclined towards JD (S) and to a lesser extent for Congress, Brahmins are believed to account for nearly 2 lakh closely followed by Muslims, Lingayats, Dalits and Kurubas in that order. Of these, BJP can safely depend upon Brahmins and Lingayats for support.
While Kumar, who belongs to the Brahmin community, is pitted against state Youth Congress president Krishna Byregowda, a Vokkaliga, and Prof K E Radhakrishna, an eminent educationist and a Brahmin, from JD (S). As if to make the situation more complicated to Kumar, who has to contend with an youthful and energetic challenger from the Congress belonging to Vokkaliga community and a Brahmin rival from JD (S), which enjoys wide support from the Vokkaligas, Capt G R Gopinath of Air Deccan fame, who played a leading role in making aviation cheaper and within the reach of not just middle classes but even poorer sections, has entered the fray as an independent. That Capt Gopinath happens to be a Brahmin quite familiar to Bangaloreans, is another reason for Kumar’s worries. Speculation is ripe that Yeddyurappa is behind Capt Gopinath’s candidature, notwithstanding denials to the contrary from both camps.
In the 2004 lok sabha polls, when assembly elections were simultaneously held, Kumar had won with a not-so-huge margin of 10,000 votes against Congress party’s present Vijayanagar MLA, M Krishnappa, who belongs to the Vokkaliga community. Despite the loss of some of the older areas and BJP strongholds like Malleshwaram, Rajajinagar, Gandhinagar and Chamarajpet in the delimitation exercise, the ruling party has considerably increased its strength in the 2008 assembly polls to gain a 36,000 plus lead in the parliamentary constituency. But Congressmen are confident of causing an electoral upset with a better strategy and by fielding a more suitable candidate.
This explains the undue interest shown by Congressmen to field former chief minister S M Krishna, who is a Vokkaliga and enjoys wider acceptability among Bangaloreans, especially the IT professionals. With the public outcry among the educated sections, particularly women and youth, against BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits over the attacks against young girls and women in a Mangalore pub and other places as well as the moral policing against girls for mixing with boys belonging to different religions besides the series of attacks against  Churches with Christians as the targets, Congressmen are confident of increasing their support base. When Krishna declined to contest as his Rajya Sabha term had over five years, the Congress party toyed with the idea of fielding M Krishnappa again or even propping up the candidature of Prof B K Chandrashekar, a former legislative council chairman and a Brahmin. It is a different matter that Rahul Gandhi ensured that the party ticket went to young Krishna Byregowda. Incdidentally, former chief minister and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy even toyed with the idea of entering the fray from Bangalore South to humble Kumar.  Obviously, Kumaraswamy fancied his chances of a victory from the constituency.
While Kumar has taken upon himself a door-to-door campaign in the constituency and has enlisted the support of his wife Tejaswini, who is  computer-savvy along with hoardes of youngsters and women activists, the US-returned Krishna Byregowda  is also banking upon his wife’s electioneering. Prof Radhakrishna and Capt Gopinath are also giving a tough fight for their rivals from the two national parties. All in all, an intense electoral battle is underway in Bangalore South promising a close finish with no clear winner in sight.
Though the four-time winner Ananth Kumar enjoys a slight edge at the moment, this election from Bangalore South certainly cannot be regarded as a cakewalk for him or BJP