Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah may have been dismissive of the influence of two veterans-Kuruba strongman Mr A.H. Vishwanath and prominent dalit leader Mr V Srinivasprasad- heavyweights in the Old Mysuru region who had quit the Congress but only the poll results will prove if their clout can be wished away-especially in Chamundeswari and Varuna constituencies.
Amid his hectic election schedule, Mr Vishwanath, now the JD (S) candidate for Hunsur, in a brief interview with Deccan Chronicle, shared his views on the battle for Chamundeswari and Varuna and whether it was going to be an easy win for the CM in Chamundeswari, and his son Dr S Yatindra in Varuna.
The veteran leader said: “It is a one-sided fight in Chamundeswari constituency, people are in favour of the JD (S). Vokkaligas were his (Siddu) major supporters in Chamundeswari and that is how he won continuously there. After Siddaramaiah left the JD(S) he lost Vokkaliga votes in Chamundeswari and his margin of victory was reduced in the 2006 by-elections. When I and Srinivasprasad were in the Congress, I mustered microscopic communities like Haavaadigas, Dombigas, Handi Jogis and others and Mr Srinivasprasad mustered Dalit voters. And now he (Siddu) has lost all of them. Also as CM he has neglected his own constituency. So it is a very tough battle for Siddaramaiah in Chamundeswari,” he remarked.
He added, “In Varuna it is a big fight between the Congress and JD (S) as the BJP has put up a dummy candidate there. Lingayats and Dalits are not with the Congress in Varuna. Dalits are fed up with his (Siddu) attitude and his prediction that he would definitely be the next CM. If so, where is the chance for Dalits? So Dalits are not going to vote for the Congress. Also the foremost aim of Lingayats is to defeat Siddaramaiah because he has repeatedly described B.S. Yeddyurappa-the Lingayat mascot- as someone who went to jail.”
“The Veerashaiva-Lingayat religion issue too has annoyed the community with ex-top cop and Lingayat strongman Revanasiddaiah expressing his anger against the Congress while quitting the party. He wields influence on Lingayats in Varuna and Chamundeswari. And hence Dalits and Lingayats in Varuna are not with the Congress,” he added.
