‘DK brothers my political gurus’, says Congress’s Iqbal Hussain who breached JD(S) Ramanagara fortress

However, Hussain is quick to attribute his electoral success to the teachings of DK brothers – DK Shivakumar and DK Suresh – who were with him throughout the campaign strategy process. “DK brothers are my political gurus. I have learnt a lot from them over the years, especially from DK Suresh who was my political advisor. We ensured that we visited every panchayat and every household in the constituency to speak to the voters. We used to hold marathon meetings in different villages and highlight how BJP’s policies are affecting people. The Ramanagara fight was a do or die for me,” said Hussain. In the 2018 polls, Hussain lost to HD Kumaraswamy by a margin of over 22,000 votes.

This time, the JD(S) fielded former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil after considering the seat as safe for him. However, the people of Ramanagara had different plans. It is believed that Anita Kumaraswamy, wife of HD Kumaraswamy, was largely ‘inaccessible’ as an MLA for the last five years, since the bypoll in 2018. Ramanagara was hit by major floods during the monsoon season last year, throwing normal life out of gear. People in the town had palpable anger against JD(S) local leaders for doing little to help them during the crisis. In fact, this is Nikhil’s second electoral defeat after the actor-politician faced a debacle contesting the Mandya Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

On the other hand, Hussain has been fighting for local issues including access to water, and irrigation concerns, among others, for the last nine years across Ramanagara. What also worked for Hussain was the distribution of Rs 3,000 worth vouchers that reached every ward and gram panchayat in Ramanagara and helped people claim ration kits just before the polls.

While HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy have been credited for the development of Ramanagara and the duo is seen as strong Vokkaliga leaders, this time around things appeared to have changed.

JD(S) leaders believe that the Congress managed to consolidate Muslim votes and corner a portion of Vokkaliga votes also because of Shivakumar. “Shivakumar was seen as someone who could become a CM and Vokkaligas sided with the Congress to support their community leader (Shivakumar) indirectly. All the Muslims consolidated in Ramanagara town, leaving us no chance to have an edge. Most of the Kurubas and other marginalised communities also voted for the Congress, because of Siddaramiah,” said a JD(S) leader from Ramanagara.

“I have not met my family, nor have I slept properly for the last nine years. I sacrificed all my personal life to lead my own dream for Ramanagara. Breaching the Ramanagara fort was never easy, with the JD(S) workers also campaigning hard. However, under the leadership of DK Shivakumar, we successfully conducted the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Mekedatu Padayatra and other health programmes, which helped us connect with people,” said the 61-year-old Hussain.

Hussain is the first Muslim candidate to win the seat since Congress’s AK Abdul Samad emerged victorious in Ramanagara in 1978.