PolitiClone: Lotus looks to bloom in final frontier

Chamarajanagar, April 25 A Congress bastion, to wrest which BJP is straining every nerve. That sums up the contest in Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency, this time round. If the BJP manages to win the seat, it will be for the first time.Lotus looks to bloom in final frontier MAIN CANDIDATES Varuna: Siddaramaiah HD Kote: Chikkanna Bannur: HC Mahadevappa Kollegal: R Dhruvanarayana Hanur: Narendra Nanjangud: V Sreenivasa Prasad Gundlupet:HS Mahadeva Prasad Chamarajanagar: Puttarangashetty Voters: 14,33,537 Male: 7,03,030 Female: 7,03,507 8 CONG MLAs Krishna Murthy (BJP) R Druvanarayana (Cong) M Shivanna (JD-S) N Mahesh (BSP) A view of famous Chamarajeshwara temple in Chamarajanagar town KEEN CONTEST IT is a keen contest on the cards between the two parties in a constituency whose eight Assembly seats are spread four each in Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts.The JD(S) is also a key contender for the seat and the party would be looking to regain lost ground here, under the leadership of former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy. The party has released a separate manifesto, promising to establish medical and engineering colleges in the backward district, besides focusing on improving education standards in schools, promote tourism and generate employment.NO BRIGAND’S SCARE ONE welcome change that has happened in the district since the last general elections is that forest brigand Veerappan is no more a scare that put tourists away. The gunning down of the sandalwood smuggler - by the STFs of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu - has not only arrested cases of elephant poaching, it has also boosted eco-tourism in the district, 48 per cent of which is covered by dense forests and wildlife sanctuaries.COMMUNITY PROFILE SHARING borders with Salem and Erode districts in Tamil Nadu, the constituency has a sizeable Tamil population. Tribals, minorities, Dalits and Veerashaivas are also in big numbers.BRIEF HISTORY CHAMARAJANAGAR voters have elected Congress MPs in most elections. Veterans like B Rachaiah and former union minister V Sreenivasa Prasad have been MPs five times each, while S M Siddaiah was MP thrice. The rejuvenation of Janata Dal in Chamarajanagar started with A Siddaraju winning polls in 1996. Since, then Ramakrishna Hegde’s Lok Shakti and Janata Dal have won all elections.But Congress swept all eight Assembly seats under Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha seat, in 2008 polls.JD(S) DECLINE JD(S) which called the shots for more than a decade here, has lost its hold with leaders like former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah, Sreenivasa Prasad and H C Mahadevappa, switching sides to join Congress.LOTUS BLOOMING? BJP coming to power in the state and snaring away members of local bodies belonging to other parties under ‘operation lotus,’ have boosted the morale of the BJP rank and file here. The nomination of prominent leaders to boards and corporations from the region by BJP government, besides the fact that the party lost to Congress by low margins in 2008 polls, are factors that have catapulted the party as a force to reckon with here.SHIVANNA BETRAYED CONGRESS, which denied ticket to sitting MP M Shivanna has fielded Kollegal MLA R Dhruvanarayana, a young leader known for organisational skills. BJP which is keen to strengthen its base in old Mysore region has roped in two-time MLA A R Krishnamurthy as its candidate.BJP leaders have buried their differences, in a bid to win.ARK’s STRATEGY ARK, a masters degree holder in mass communication, enjoys a large following of supporters in pockets of Chamarajanagar, Santhemaranahalli, Nanjangud and Kollegal. Appealing for a chance to serve as MP, Krishnamurthy is also trying to cash in on the sympathy factor, since he lost the Assembly election by just one vote against R Dhruvanarayana, in 2004. He is solidly backed by Veerashaiva community and has managed to get the support of Nayaka community, besides making inroads into Dalit votebank.BJP is attracting educated Dalits to support BJP. The party is branding Congress as an anti-Dalit party, for failing to make Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge the chief minister. The Congress high command asking Kharge to resign as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly to accommodate Siddaramaiah in the position, has given another stick to the BJP to beat the Congress with. Frequent visits by Yeddyurappa, BJP leaders and cine actors are an added attraction in the campaign. The BJP has promised to implement the second phase of the Kabini irrigation project, to improve basic infrastructure and to take up health programmes for tribals and Dalits.PRESENCE of heavyweights in its camp and the fact that eight MLAs belonging to Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency, are from its party, have made the Congress confident of retaining Chamarajanagar.This despite the fact that the party started its campaign late as the announcement of the candidate was delayed. Congress candidate R Dhruvanarayana has managed to develop his own network of youth for campaigning and is going all out against ARK. Congress leaders are all praise for Dhruvanarayana’s simplicity and commitment to public life.Congress leaders are highlighting the UPA government’s development programmes, to impress the voters.CONFIDENT CONGRESS CASTE ARITHMETIC “WE want both Dhruvanarayana and ARK to serve in different capacities,” says Chinnaswamy of Hanur. Dhruvanarayana is banking on the strong Kuruba-Uppara- Muslim-Christian-Dalit combination for a win. The shifting of H D Kote from Mysore LS constituency to Chamarajanagar constituency during delimitation has added strength to the Congress. But the overconfidence among the Congress rank and file, may prove to be its nemesis, as BJP is making inroads in rural pockets.JD(S) CAMPAIGN JD(S) has fielded former minister M Shivanna, who quit Congress to join JD(S). That way it is looking to garner Vokkaliga votes in Bannur and H D Kote Assembly seats, besides tapping into the Madiga votebank.PROBLEMS The under-development, lack of basic infrastructure to promote tourism, bad maintenance of national highways, ban on tribals from collecting minor forest produce, lack of good irrigation facilities, depletion of the water table, increase in man-animal conflict, poaching of elephants and crop losses are the major problems faced by the electorate. Erratic rainfall and the resultant crop losses have forced large scale migration of labourers and tribals, seeking employment, to farms in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Kerala, besides the coffee plantations in Coorg. The implementation of Kabini project will bring in changes in the backward region, he said.JINXED TOWN Chamarajanagar that was in the news for the Hogenakkal controversy is also a jinxed town. In that, any chief minister visiting the town will lose power, it is believed.This even kept away socialist and former CM, the late J H Patel, from visiting Chamarajanagar. S M Krishna also skipped a visit to Chamarajanagar.ARK’s STRATEGY ARK, a masters degree holder in mass communication, enjoys a large following of supporters in pockets of Chamarajanagar, Santhemaranahalli, Nanjangud and Kollegal. Appealing for a chance to serve as MP, Krishnamurthy is also trying to cash in on the sympathy factor, since he lost the Assembly election by just one vote against R Dhruvanarayana, in 2004. He is solidly backed by Veerashaiva community and has managed to get the support of Nayaka community, besides making inroads into Dalit votebank.BJP is attracting educated Dalits to support BJP. The party is branding Congress as an anti-Dalit party, for failing to make Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge the chief minister. The Congress high command asking Kharge to resign as Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly to accommodate Siddaramaiah in the position, has given another stick to the BJP to beat the Congress with. Frequent visits by Yeddyurappa, BJP leaders and cine actors are an added attraction in the campaign. The BJP has promised to implement the second phase of the Kabini irrigation project, to improve basic infrastructure and to take up health programmes for tribals and Dalits.CONFIDENT CONGRESSPRESENCE of heavyweights in its camp and the fact that eight MLAs belonging to Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency, are from its party, have made the Congress confident of retaining Chamarajanagar.This despite the fact that the party started its campaign late as the announcement of the candidate was delayed. Congress candidate R Dhruvanarayana has managed to develop his own network of youth for campaigning and is going all out against ARK. Congress leaders are all praise for Dhruvanarayana’s simplicity and commitment to public life.Congress leaders are highlighting the UPA government’s development programmes, to impress the voters.

Lotus looks to bloom in final frontier

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