Cong, JD(S) step up campaign in Chamundeshwari

Mysore, Nov 26: The campaign in the high stakes poll clash between Congress and Janata Dal(S), the main contenders for the December four by-poll for Chamundeshwari assembly segment, has reached a crescendo despite more than a week is still left for the polling.

The two parties have considered the election as most prestigeous with Congress pitting former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who quit the seat as a JD(S) member and joined the national party following a tiff with JD(S) President H D Deve Gowda. This has forced the former Prime Minister to take take the election as a prestige issue and plunge into active campaigning.

Though the outcome of the poll would not have any bearing on the JD(S)-BJP coailition government in the state, the stakes has remained very high. While the Congress state unit President Mallikarjun Kharge predicts that the government would fold up after its debacle in the election, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said it would have no bearing on the performance of the ten-month old government.

The by-poll has already seen enough action A S Guruswamy, as former JD(S) MLA from the segment, revolting against the party leaders and contesting as a JD(U) candidate and Congress and JD(U) filing complaints to EC against JD(S) for obstructing their campaign.

On top of had came the report of JD(U) central leaders wanting to expel Mr Gowda for alligning with communal Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka.

The segment, forming part of Mysore city and the surrounding villages, was formed in 1978 after bifurcation Mysore and T Narasipura segments. This is the second largest constituency in the state after the Uttarahalli in Bangalore rural district.

On a visit to the villages close to the city, one can witness instensity and the high pitch at which the campaign was being done.

Cast factor was being intensly persued by the political parties not bothering about the election code which was against it.

Top guns of various parties have made mysore virtually astheir second home with Mr Kumaraswamy staying in the city more than the state capital Bangalore.

Though there are JD(U) and Samajwadi Party candidates are in the fray, they would be making only a token presence. However, JD(U) candidate Guruswamy was likely to affect the prospects of the JD(S) candidate Shivabasappa. The nature of the poll campaigning this time was different this time. Usually the party leaders take up the door to door campaigning at the fag end of the canvassing, however, this time the parties started this campaigning right from the day one, mainly conducting large public meetings.

The constituency consists of over 250 villages with voters of 3,68,599 including 1,79,317 women folk.

Despite EC restriction of using publicity and campaigning materials the two major contenders have been using used the maximum and there was no corner in the entire segment which is free from buntings, posters and other publicity materials.

A visit to villages saw that almost all the villages are in a festive look as supporters of various parties eager to receive their leaders. Political parties are also trying to muster support from other community leaders and religious figures at the local level.

Various community conferences were also going on regularly.

Despite marginal presence and unknown support base, Samajwadi Party state president S Bangarappa, who was also a former Chief minister, could be seen going to scores of villages to seek votes for his candidate B Karunakaran. The ten independents were more depending on door to door campaign.

For campaign Congress party had brought scores of top leaders including KPCC President Mallikarjuna Kharge, former Chief Minister Dharam Singh, along with Union Ministers Ambareesh, Oscar Fernandes, Muniappa, M V Rajashekharan, Rajya Sabha Vice-Chairman Rehaman Khan and former Ministers of the State. They were camping in the city and visiting various villages seeking the support of their candidates.

The leaders have been attacking on the ruling coalition government and same had been counter by the JD(S) and BJP leaders in the poll campaigns.

Janata Dal(S) and Bharatiya Janata Party taken up the poll campaign on a brisk note on each and every villages in the constituency.

The Janata Dal(S) under the stewardship Mr Gowda and Mr Kumaraswamy had been more vocal in the campaign. Most of cabinet ministers were visiting villages every day. Chief Minister had decided to take up padyatra on his own style visiting nearly 20 villages every day untill the polling campaing ends on December two.

He had already visited the constituency not less then nine times during last three months while Deve Gowda also visiting various villages seeking votes from the villagers and declared this election as a second test in his life after his debut election he won way back 1960s.

Both Janata Dal(S) and BJP which filed common candidate in Shivabasappa putting very high stake in the by elections and Chief Minister has said that the elections are 'examinations to the coalition government'.

While the Congress party considered this elections as a prestigious and badly want to resurrect people's support after it lost power in 2004 elections.

UNI

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