Shiggaon contest: Bommai set for one-sided contest on home turf

Shiggaon in Haveri district has emerged as a high-profile constituency in the upcoming assembly election, with the Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai seeking re-election for the fourth consecutive time from the segment.

While the general consensus is that Basavaraj Bommai will emerge victorious, Congress candidate Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan is also set to give a tough fight to the BJP leader. Shashidhar Yeligar is the JDS candidate.

Photo Credit: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai

Shiggaon was considered a Congress stronghold till 1999. However, things changed drastically after the JDS and independent candidates won the seat in 1999 and 2004 respectively.

In 2008, BJP fielded Bommai from Shiggaon, which has a sizeable Muslim population. He garnered 83,868 votes and defeated Congress' Sayed Azeempeer Khadri, by a narrow margin of 9,265 votes. Khadri polled 74,603 votes.

The 2013 and 2008 polls also witnessed a close contest between Bommai and Khadri. But Bommai managed to win the seat by a margin of 9,503 votes and 12,862 votes, respectively.

This time, the Congress had fielded President of Anjuman-e-Islam of Hubballi Mohammad Yusuf Savanur against Bommai but later replaced him by fielding Pathan, a new face, making it a one-sided contest.

According to political pundits, Karnataka elections 2023 could be easy for Bommai because of the fact that he is the Chief Minister, developmental works he has carried out in his constituency, including for minorities and lack of strong opponent.Moreover, Bommai is perceived to be a clean politician.

However, his image took a beating after he became the Chief Minister in 2021, following the exit of veteran BJP leader BS Yediyurappa.

While some feel that the protest by the Panchamasali Lingayat community is demanding higher reservation and the BJP government's decision to scrap four per cent reservation for Muslims under the OBC list, could be a worry for Bommai, his supporters claim that developmental work carried out by the sitting chief minister will come to his rescue.

Things were looking a bit shaky for Bommai in Shiggaon, following a protest by Panchamasalis against the BJP government demanding higher reservations. However, in a damage control move, the Bommai government created a separate reservation category for all Lingayats.

During the Panchamasali angst against the ruling BJP, Congress looked to capitalise on votes by fielding Kulkarni against Bommai. However, the grand old party dropped the plan later.

The 2023 Karnataka election is an acid test for Bommai, as he is not just an MLA candidate, but also Chief Minister, who has huge responsibility of bringing back the BJP to power in southern state.

To woo voters, Bommai has been campaigning aggressively on his home turf and travelling across the state. In a big boost to Bommai, popular actor Kiccha Sudeep also joined Bommai on the day of filing nomination.

Stepping into his father's shoes, Bommai, who is the son of former Karnataka chief minister and Janata Parivar veteran late S R Bommai, began his political career with the Janata Dal.Bommai joined BJP in 2018.

He served as Home Minister in the Yediyurappa-led government in 2019 and became the Chief Minister in 2021 after Yediyurappa resigned from the top post.

Shiggaon shot to fame after the victory of S Nijalingappa, the mighty former chief minister, who was elected unopposed on a Congress ticket in 1967. And now, the seat again emerged as a high-profile constituency with another sitting chief minister seeking re-election.

Shiggaon constituency has around 75,000 Veerashaiva Lingayats population, with the sub-sect of Bommai, making up for about 15,000 voters.