Ballari: Neither the BJP nor Congress seems confident of winning the Ballari Lok Sabha bypoll, where Valmiki strongman B Sriramulu’s sister J. Shantha is pitted against Congress MLC V.S. Ugrappa.
Once a Congress bastion, the constituency grabbed national attention in 1999 during the famous electoral battle that saw Congress president Sonia Gandhi defeat senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. But the BJP wrested the seat in 2004 and has retained it since. Being in power in the state in a coalition government, the Congress now sees it as a matter of prestige to win the seat back from the BJP this bypoll.
On the eve of polling, on Friday, it did appear to have an edge over the BJP. Its six MLAs from the constituency are said to have taken this by-poll very seriously as whoever takes a lead over the BJP in his respective segment, could be in line for a cabinet berth.
Reserved for the STs this bypoll, the constituency is dominated by Valmiki Nayakas, Lingayats, Muslims, Kurubas, Scheduled Castes and OBCs. So far, the Muslims, Kurubas, OBCs and Madigas have stood behind the Congress and the Valmikis and touchable SCs have backed the BJP. But the Lingayats, who form at least 25 per cent of the constituency’s 17 lakh voters, could prove the deciding factor. Going by sources, unlike in the 2018 May assembly poll, Lingayats may not vote en mass for the BJP this time.
“During the assembly poll, the Lingayats backed the BJP only to make their strongman B S Yeddyurappa CM. But now that Mr Sriramulu is trying to project himself as the future CM, the Lingayats appear to have decided to teach him a lesson this by-poll by supporting the Congress,” say Lingayat community sources. The bypoll is being held as Mr Sriramulu resigned as Ballari MP following his win from the Molkalmuru Assembly seat in May. And it is turning out to be a proxy war between him and Minister, D K Shivakumar of the Congress in Ballari with both men leaving no stone unturned to achieve a victory.
