BJP’s bid to breach DK Shivakumar’s Kanakapura fort in the May 10 elections through its popular Vokkaliga face R Ashoka appears to be a daunting task given the Karnataka Congress president’s deep roots in the constituency.
Yet, Ashoka’s candidature and the saffron party’s focus has turned an otherwise dull and one-sided contest into a high-decibel affair.
Kanakapura has elected Shivakumar thrice in a row since 2008 when he moved to the segment from Sathanur where he had won four consecutive times. That his winning margin has increased with every election is evidence of his popularity.
While Shivakumar carries an altogether different image elsewhere, in Kanakapura he is pro-development and a man for the poor. He has ensured drinking water, better roads, health facilities and housing for the poor. People even say Kanakapura beats its district headquarters Ramanagara in terms of infrastructure.
“These are the reasons for his dream run,” says Banuprakash, a hotelier in Kanakapura town.
But BJP’s plans to field a ‘reluctant’ Ashoka is said to be the start of a long-term plan. The party has never been able to muster even 4% of the votes in the past three elections, a statistic that demonstrates its negligible presence and influence. The saffron party believes Ashoka’s candidature isthe first step in changing that.
“It is an election in which the party is hoping to get a good footing in the constituency,” said a senior BJP functionary, who has been camping in Kanakapura for the past few days. “Ashoka’s contest will boost this process. It is with this goal that we are fighting this election.”
Political analysts also believe Ashoka’s contest will help BJP improve its vote share. “Not that there is no anger among people towards Shivakumar. There wasn’t a formidable candidate to exploit it and stand by them post elections. With Ashoka, people may find a channel to vent their anger,” said a veteran political observer.
But Ashoka himself appears to be a hurdle in BJP’s plan. “The party cadre is very enthusiastic, and Ashoka is campaigning in the constituency, but he lacks energy and vigour,” said another BJP functionary.
A section of BJP also thinks he was asked to take on Shivakumar as punishment following complaints that he indulges in ‘adjustment politics’ with Congress and JD(S) Vokkaliga leaders to maintain his winning streak in Padmanabhanagar from where he is also contesting.
The BJP think tank is also hoping to replace JD(S) as Shivakumar’s main challenger. JD(S) has a strong base in the constituency but somehow has not been able to put the brakes on Shivakumar’s winning spree. The only time it gave a good fight was in 2008 when Shivakumar’s winning margin was a mere 7,000-odd votes. But then, Shivakumar was a newbie in the constituency. This time the regional outfit has fielded B Nagaraju.
On his part, Shivakumar is unperturbed and has been campaigning for Congress candidates outside Kanakapura. His wife Usha and his cousin and MLC S Ravi are taking care of his campaign in Kanakapura, while his MPbrother DK Suresh is focusing on Rajarajeshwari Nagar seat in Bengaluru.
“Ashoka’s candidature will not make any difference to Shivakumar. Forget about giving a good fight, they cannot even find people to campaign in Kanakapura,” Ravi told TOI.