Hubballi: With Chief Minister Siddaramaiah contesting from Badami in addition to Chamundeshwari these elections, Valmiki-Nayak leaders from the Hyderabad-Karnataka region are doing everything they can to defeat him in the former constituency.
Over 200 office-bearers and members of Valmiki organisations have descended on the tourist town to campaign for BJP candidate, B Sriramulu and are touring all villages to encourage the tribals to vote these elections. Afraid that the Election Commission will seize their luxury vehicles , these observers are touring Badami on bikes as they have not obtained the necessary permission to campaign for the BJP among the 30,000 Valmiki-Nayaks in the constituency.
They have formed separate teams to visit all six Zilla Panchayat in the taluk and are camping at the Lingayat religious centres of Shivayogi Mandir, Banashankari, Guledagudd and Badami for lack of accommodation following a recent influx of politicians.
"We arrived in Badami in over 15 vehicles and are trying to persuade the Valmikis not to vote for the Congress as the state government has not extended reservation to the community in education and employment as ordered by the High Court,", said Hyderabad-Karnataka Valmiki-Nayak Sangh divisional president and former Kalaburgi Municipal Corporation deputy mayor, Nandakumar Patil.
“We are campaigning for our community leader, Sriramulu in Badami constituency for the last two days as he has promised to fulfill our demands. We will return home tomorrow and come back on May 8 as election officials are threatening to seize our vehicles", said Yadgir district Valmiki-Nayak Sangh president, Mariyappa Nayak.
Teams of Valmikis are wooing their community voters by highlighting the social work and mass marriage ceremonies conducted by Mr Sriramulu in adjacent Gadag district and other pro-poor schemes launched by him as Health Minister. Taking on Congress leader, Satish Jarkiholi, these Valmiki leaders are accusing him of failing to meet the demands of the community when he was Minister.
