It seems JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda has done lot of homework before finalising the list of his party candidates to the present Lok Sabha elections. Not to gain more seats for his party but to help Congress win. Divide the BJP votes by fielding the same community candidate that of BJP or support the Congress by not putting any candidates is the strategy adopted by him. JD(S) official candidate who had submitted his nomination in Dharwad parliamentary constituency withdrew his nomination on the advice of Deve Gowda. This incident brought a big smile on Manjunath Kunnur, the Congress candidate, as JD(S) announced that the reason behind withdrawal was in support of the Congress party and JD(S) party workers are working jointly with Congress party workers to ensure the defeat of BJP candidate Prahlad Joshi. Similarly JD(S) is supporting the Congress party nominee and former Chief Minister of Karnataka S Bangarappa in the prestigious Shimoga constituency where the BJP candidate Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa's son BY Raghavendra is contesting. Apart from Chikkodi, Bagalkote, Davangere, Dakshina Kannada (Mangalore), Haveri, Bellary, Bijapur other constituency where JD(S) has not fielded its candidate is Udupi-Chikmagalur where BJP State unit president Sadananda Gowda is contesting.
Out of 28 constituencies JD(S) is contesting in 18 constituencies and hoping to win 4 to 5 seats. Overall view is that it wants to divide the BJP votes as much as possible and help Congress get mileage though both Congress and JD(S) deny having any poll alliance among themselves. JD(S) is focusing in Hassan, Bengaluru Rural, Mandya, Mysore, Koppal and Tumkur constituencies, where the party candidates are heavyweight. While HD Deve Gowda is contesting in Hassan, his son and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is contesting from Bengaluru Rural. There is a triangular fight among former minister N Cheluvaraya Swamy of JD(S), cine star and former Congress MP, Ambareesh and BJP's LR Shivarame Gowda in Mandya
Clear indication of dividing the BJP votes by JD(S) is seen in Bengaluru South Constituency where JD(S) is fielding Prof. Radhakrishna, a Brahmin against BJP'sstar candidate HN Ananth Kumar, also a Brahmin. Independent candidate Captain Gopinath of Air Deccan fame may also eat into Ananth Kumar'svote share. Congress has fielded the young three time MLA and highly educated Krishna Byre Gowda, Vokkaliga, who is said to be close associate of Rahul Gandhi, as the candidate to take on Ananth Kumar. Let us take a look at Bidar constituency where the former Chief Minister and a senior Congress leader Dharam Singh is contesting. While Dharam Singh belongs to Rajput community, both the BJP candidate Gurupadappa Nagmarpally and JD(S) candidate Subhash Nelge belongs to Lingayat community. In the case of Uttara Kannada where senior Congress leader Margret Alva , Christian, is contesting, both BJP'sAnanth Kumar Hegde and JD(S) candidate VD Hegde belongs to Brahmin community. In Belgaum constituency, Congress candidate Amara Simha Patil belongs to Kuruba community and both BJP'sSuresh Angadi and JD(S) candidate AB Patil belongs to Lingayat community. In Gulbarga Congress top brass Mallikarjuna Kharge who belongs to SC ( Right ) has to fight against both BJP and JD(S) candidates who belongs to the same community, SC (Lambani). Here BJP candidate is the Animal Husbandry minister Revu Naik Belamgi and the JD(S) candidate is Babu Honna Naik.
However, CM BS Yeddyurappa feels that the strategies adopted by Congress and JD(S) will not work and people of Karnataka are set to bless the BJP with more than 22 seats, come what may because of the developmental programmes being implemented throughout the State. ?Karnataka is the only BJP ruled State in south India and people here wants NDA at the Centre too? he said.
(The writer can be contacted at rgeepee@gmail.com)
