ZP-TP polls: Mega rally to kick off Congress campaign

Bengaluru/Belagavi: The ruling Congress party has organised a big rally in Mysuru on Saturday to kick off the campaign for the ZP/TP polls scheduled to be held on February 13 and 20.

This is the first among three divisional level political events being organised by the Congress to prepare the rank and file to work for the victory of party nominees in the panchayat polls. Two more divisional level rallies are planned in Bidar and Kalaburagi or Vijayapura. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will launch the campaign from his home district, Mysuru on Saturday.

Party sources told Deccan Chronicle that the Mysuru divisional level rally will be held at Maharaja’s ground near the deputy commissioner’s office. Party workers and leaders from Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Hassan, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagalur and Udupi will attend the convention at 11 am. The CM will be arriving in Mysuru on Friday evening to participate in the valedictory of Bengaluru International Film Festival (Biffes) and will stay overnight at a hotel in KRS. He will be coming back to Mysuru Saturday morning to attend the party convention.

Preparations are in full swing for the event and a big pandal is being put to accommodate thousands of workers coming from eight districts.

The host district is not providing food to delegates in view of the strict poll code of conduct.  Mr Siddaramaiah has chosen his home district to launch the poll campaign to project his political strength. Ministers of all districts concerned have been asked to be present well before the commencement of the convention to avoid any last minute confusion. Sources pointed out that the CM has asked his close aides to bring more workers for the meeting from Mysuru, Mandya and Chamarajanagar which are considered stronghold of the Congress. Mr Siddaramaiah is learnt to have taken the panchayat polls seriously and through the conventions, he wants to convey a message to the party high command that he is still a big force to reckon with in the State. The pressure  is more on him to win the maximum number of zilla panchayats than the opposition BJP.

“We are leaving no stone unturned to make the Mysuru convention a mega success,” a leader said.

Gowda’s bahu Bhavani is lucky this time
In an effort to checkmate animal husbandry minister A. Manju’s strategy to gain control over Hassan district, the home turf of JD(S) patriarch H.D. Deve Gowda, the leader’s daughter-in-law and former minister H D Revanna’s wife Bhavani is set to enter electoral politics and contest Zill Panchayat elections from Halekote.

Party workers, too are in favour of Ms Bhavani contesting ZP polls though they were unsuccessful in convincing Mr Gowda about her candidature ahead of recent polls to the Legislative Council. Mr Gowda preferred to field his long-time associate Mr Patel Shivaram but the move flopped resulting in victory of Mr Manju’s candidate.

With workers threatening to desert the party in case Ms Bhavani was denied ticket because they are concerned about Mr Manju’s growing clout, Mr Gowda seems inclined to allow her to contest from  Halekote from where her husband Mr Revanna won by an impressive margin of 10,000-plus votes.  

Sources said that Mr Gowda’s green signal to Ms Bhavani could cause much discomfiture for state unit president H.D. Kumaraswamy. If Ms Bhavani wins, she could even take over as chairperson of zilla panchayat and thus check Mr Manju’s growing clout in the district.

Sons, daughters of many politicos want to make debut
The cabinet minister's grade for a ZP president's post is proving a huge draw these elections.  Members of many powerful political families in Belagavi , including those of former ministers, V L Patil of Raibag, Vishwanath Katti and A.B. Patil of Chikkodi, are hoping to make their political debut and get a minister of state rank in the process.

Prominent candidates in the fray from Chikkodi are Nikhil Katti, son of former minister, Umesh Katti,  Pavan Katti, son of former MP, Ramesh Katti, Vinay Patil, son of former minister, A B Patil and Pranay Patil, son of MLC, Vivekrao Patil. All four are third generation members of the families of former ministers, Vishwanath Katti, Basagouda Patil and V L Patil. Pranay Patil won by a landslide margin in the last panchayat polls as a member of the BJP,  but switched to Congress this time on his father's insistence. Besides Pranay, two other members of V L Patil's family, who are in the fray are Gargi Patil, daughter-in-law of Vivekrao Patil, and Purnima Patil, daughter of Amarsing Patil.

While both the BJP and Congress claim they are confident of achieving the magic 50 mark in the 90-member Belagavi zilla panchayat, their candidates are going all out to woo voters with round-the-clock campaigning. The contest could be tight considering the hectic campaigning by both camps. Campaigning is expected to gain momentum in Belagavi as  D-day draws closer with many top leaders from the BJP and Congress joining in.