Will Siddaramaiah's Kolar gamble damage Congress chances in Mysuru?

While JDS has accused Siddaramaiah of betraying the people of Varuna and Badami, others have targeted him says he shifted to Kolar to protect his son’s interest in Varuna.

Although he has been one of the tallest leaders in Karnataka politics, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has always struggled to find a safe place in electoral politics of the State. He has been in continuous search for a permanent seat on more than one occasion or end up fighting from two seats simultaneously to avoid defeat. And the current electoral season is no different.

After much deliberations, the 71-year-old Siddaramaiah, who is aspiring to become CM again, has chosen Kolar seat, to end his 'bad run' at the hustings. Kolar Assembly segment is dominated by AHINDA, which includes minorities, backward classes and Dalits.

Siddaramaiah's candidature from Kolar may have elated the Congress workers in the belt but it may soon turn into a big worry for the grand old party in Mysuru is considered Siddaramaiah's home turf, and a strong base of both Congress and JDS.

Reportedly, the Congress cadres in Mysuru region are upset with Siddaramaiah as the party has no charismatic leader or substitute to fight the JDS and BJP. For the Congress, it would be a tough battle ahead as both JDS and BJP are pushing very hard for the Vokkaliga votes. It will be a daunting task for Congress to contain the influence of the JDS and BJP.

Though MLA Yathindra Siddaramaiah has offered to give up the seat for his father, Siddaramaiah has never shown interest. Congress leaders want Siddaramaiah to contest from Chamundeshwari seat, which he lost in 2018, and stage a comeback. But Siddaramaiah preferred Kolar over Chamundeshwari, Varuna and even Badami.

Opposition parties have, however, targeted Siddaramaiah, accusing him of jumping to Kolar to protect his son's interest in Varuna.

The JDS, which eyes winning 123 seats this election, has accused Siddaramaiah of betraying the people of Varuna and Badami. The regional party is banking on Siddaramaiah's second change of constituency, as he may be hard put to spell out why he dumped Badami. The JD(S) is also branding him as a "political nomad", hopping from one constituency to another for his own advantage.

Notably, Vokkaligas are largely centred in the Old Mysuru Region. Since its inception, it has won nearly 70 percent of its seats from this region. In the 2018 elections, the JDS won 37 seats of which 31 were from the Old Mysuru Region.

On the other hand, the BJP, trying to make inroads in this belt, plans to field B.Y. Vijayendra to take advantage of Siddaramaiah's absence. In a bid to woo Vokkaligas in the region, the saffron party may reach out to the people with its developmental projects like the recent inauguration of the 108-ft Kempegowda statue at Kempegowda International Airport, setting up of the Vokkaliga Development Corporation, commissioning of MySugar factory at Mandya and its proposal to provide an additional 3% reservation for Vokkaligas under EWS category.

At the end, the Congress will be left defending Siddaramaiah's move from Mysuru to Kolar.