Battle for Varuna: Will BJP field Vijayendra against Siddaramaiah?

Speculation is rife that ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will field B.Y. Vijayendra, the younger son of party patriarch B.S. Yeddyurappa, against Congress strongman Siddaramaiah in Varuna. The constituency is traditionally a Congress bastion but has a significant population of Lingayats, the community Vijayendra belongs to.

According to reports, some of the party insiders want to end the Siddaramaiah family's domination in Varuna seat through Vijayendra, who is known for his organisational skills. They believe that Vijayendra's candidature from Varuna will pave way for BJP's entry into the old-Mysuru region.

While Vijayendra reputation could be used to win a prestige battle in Varuna, any party worker could be fielded from Shikaripura, breaking the nepotism tantrum. It will also help the saffron party to shun away the 'North Karnataka-based party' or 'Lingayat party' image.

Meanwhile, Yeddyurappa tried to put an end to the speculations by announcing that his son would contest from Shikaripura, a BJP stronghold. Now, there is a possibility that Vijayendra may opt to contest from both Shikaripura and Varuna, like wisely having two strings in the bow.

Can Vijayendra wrest Varuna from Siddaramaiah

Contesting from Varuna is not going to be a cakewalk for Vijayendra. However, his organisational skills and electoral strategy may make it a hard-fought battle for the Congress leader.

Vijayendra is among the few young political leaders in the State who pays attention to minute details and follows up his electoral strategy with meticulous execution. He proved his mettle in 2019, when BJP managed to sweep the high-stake Karnataka by-elections by winning 12 out of the 15 seats.

While the win has helped the BJP stay in power, a win in the KR Pete was considered special as he managed to break the JDS stronghold, within three weeks' time.

The simple strategy used by Vijayendra was to build a connect with the people. He reached out to people with works done by Yediyurappa, who hails from KR Pete taluk. With this strategy, Vijayendra has found recognition for his political acumen.

Also, Varuna is not new to Vijayendra. In the 2018 elections, Vijayendra was slated to contest against Siddaramaiah's son Yathindra. During the campaigning, Vijayendra built a connect with people, toured villages, projecting himself as the BJP's prospective candidate and also rented a house in Varuna village. However, in the end, the BJP high-command refused to field him from the seat.

Unlike his father, who restricted himself to hometown Shikaripura, Vijayendra is focused on building his political career in the old Mysuru region. He is well aware of the fact that winning more seats in the old Mysuru is crucial for the party to get a majority in the Assembly.

Also, Varuna has a sizable Veerashaiva population, who have been the BJP's backbone in election season. According to a News18 report, there are around 60,000 Veerashaivas, 40,000 Nayaka STs, 15,000 Kurubas, 10,000 Vokkaligas and over 50,000 Dalit voters in Varuna. BJP thinks that most Veerashaivas would back the party and divide SC/ST votes.

Meanwhile, BJP has been making consistent efforts to make inroads into constituencies or regions where it is not strong, especially in the old Mysuru region, aimed at reaping rich political dividends.

Party top guns like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have already visited Mysore three to four times and seem to have decided to make this election tough for Siddaramaiah on his home turf.