Karnataka polls: How Congress plans to counter BJP heavyweights

By fielding Vinay Kulkarni from Shiggaon, Congress is trying to cash in on the anger of the Panchamasali community against CM Bommai over the delay in providing reservations for the community under 2A category.

Keen to win back Karnataka, the Congress appears to be giving the BJP a run for its money in key Assembly seats currently held by saffron party heavyweights. Here is a constituency-wise look at the scenario:

Shiggaon

In Shiggaon, the Assembly segment represented by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, the Congress is banking on the anger of the Panchamasalis, the largest sub-sect of Karnataka's politically powerful Lingayat community over the issue of enhanced reservation. Changing its tactic, the grand-old party is planning to field former minister Vinay Kulkarni instead of Sayeed Azeempeer Khadri against Bommai amid a row over the issue.

While the selection of candidates is still in progress, the Congress is keen on fielding Kulkarni. His candidature will help Congress to cash in on the anger of the Panchamasali community against Bommai over the delay in providing reservations for the community under 2A category. The Panchamasali community wants to be included in 2A category (15 percent) of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) reservation matrix. They were till now under the 3B category (5 percent).

In the previous election, Congress had fielded Khadri with an eye on Muslim votes, the second biggest chunk after Panchamasalis. However, Kulkarni is undecided this time as he is keen on winning the Dharwad Rural seat, which he won thrice before losing to BJP in 2018. If Kulkarni refuses to contest from Shiggaon, the Congress is mulling to field former Byadagi MLA Basavaraj Shivannavar, a Kuruba.

Dharwad West

The situation is no different in the Dharwad West segment. The Congress is planning to nominate Santhosh Lad against Aravind Bellad, who was in the race to replace B.S. Yediyurappa as Chief Minister.

The move is aimed at consolidating the Maratha community vote. Congress' S.R. More, a strong Maratha leader, had won the seat four times before BJP wrested it two decades ago. However, Lad is keen on contesting from Kalaghatagi, which he represented twice before losing in 2018.

Meanwhile, Congress is finding it difficult to name a candidate from Kalaghatagi amid a tussle between State Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar and his bete noir in the party Siddaramaiah over the candidature. While Siddaramaiah wants to field Lad from Kalaghatagi, Shivakumar is said to be backing Nagaraj Chabbi. The Congress is divided over whom to field from Dharwad West.

Rajajinagar

The Congress is also in touch with BJP MLC Puttanna whom they are hoping to field from Rajajinagar (Bengaluru), currently represented by S. Suresh Kumar of BJP. Suresh, who lost only once in 2004 in the past five elections from Rajajinagar since 1994, looks to retain the seat.

Chikkamagaluru

In Chikkamagaluru, the Congress is scouting for a Lingayat candidate to take on the incumbent legislator C.T. Ravi, who is a BJP national general secretary. The party is reportedly planning to field H.D. Thimmaiah, a former BJP man to contest against Ravi.

Ravi, a firebrand BJP leader from Chikkamagaluru Assembly constituency and a face of Malnad region's politics, is backed by a strong RSS background and ideology. He has been very vocal about Hindutva and credited with bringing up BJP in the district, which was once seen as a stronghold of the Congress party, in a short time.