Bengaluru, 19 April (HS):

Politics is the last resort for scoundrels

-George Bernard Shaw.

Seven more days are left for the first round of polls to 14 constituencies of Karnataka, but a short trip in multiple constituencies of several districts doesn’t indicate that general elections are underway. Thanks to the code of conduct being rigidly adhered to, you don’t even come across wall writings, banners, billboards, cutouts, hitherto a big nuisance during polls.

Heatwave feared to affect turnout: Hunaswadi Rajan, Group Editor of Lok Shikshan Trust publications including Samayukta Karnataka, the oldest Kannada daily newspaper feared-“There is a danger of the polling per cent dipping down if the same present heatwave continues until the polling day”.

Personal prestige to the fore: Generally and especially in Karnataka, local issues, candidates, and anti-incumbency factors play a vital role at the time of state Assembly elections unlike during Parliamentary polls. Interestingly, it looks to be the other way around this time for the Lok Sabha elections. For most of the candidates belonging to the BJP, INC and the JDS, it’s their prestige, political existence and future at the crossroads.

Internal bickering bothering: Party men becoming upset for not being retained to contest, raising a voice of revolt, threatening to jump into the fray as a rebel candidate or defecting to the rival party have almost become the order of the day. It has almost become a normal phenomenon these days. Internal bickering for the same reason is also haunting both, the BJP and the INC.

Rivalry at the cost of losing: KH Muniyappa boasts of having represented the Kolar reserved constituency for a record number of seven times becoming a union Minister. Presently he is an MLA and Minister while his daughter is an MLA. He also attempted in vain to get the Kolar Lok Sabha ticket to his son-in-law. Thanks to his rival group enacting a furore in public lady luck favoured a third person. As rival groups within the party ensured KH Muniyappa’s defeat in the previous Lok Sabha polls, it would be stupid to reason that KH Muniyappa will put up his entire mite to see that the party nominee wins!

Time to avenge defeat: V Somanna, former BJP minister from Bengaluru is the Tumakuru candidate and branded as a rank outsider. SP Mudduhanumegowda was accused of campaigning against HD Devegowda, the alliance candidate of INC and JDS in the last elections after being denied a ticket to contest. The nonagenarian former prime minister has already campaigned thrice to teach SP Mudduhanumegowda a befitting lesson. However, JC Madhuswamy, the former BJP minister and a contender of the ticket has not taken the adverse development lightly. He is not to be seen taking part in campaigning giving enough reasons for the emerging tricky situation.

Kanakapura fortress under attack: Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, all these days has almost become a family forte of DK Shivalkumar, DCM cum KPCC President and his brother DK Suresh, sitting MP. These brothers are notoriously known for dolling freebies throughout the year under some pretext or the other and thereby keeping the voters at their mercy. Dr CN Manjunath, the cardiac surgeon turned politician and son-in-law of HD Devegowda is the BJP candidate. More than Dr CN Manjunath, it is the Devegowda family’s prestige at stake while for the DK brothers; it is a new challenge of retaining the family bastion hook or crook.

Losing the seats also means losing the CM’s post: Mysuru-Kodagu and Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituencies are of crucial significance to Siddaramaiah, the incumbent Chief Minister as Mysuru is his home district. He represents the Varuna constituency in the Assembly, which comes under the purview of the Chamarajanagara reserved Lok Sabha constituency. So, losing both these seats will also mean losing the chief minister position to Siddaramaiah.

Hindusthan Samachar/Manohar Yadavatti