Third nominee pales in contrast

The general belief that everybody knows everybody else in a little town is demolished by Bellary residents as far as Mahalingappa is concerned. Searching for the Lok Sabha-aspirant’s house is an ordeal in itself. People who live a couple of streets away from his house cannot tell you where the JD (S) candidate lives.

Mahalingappa, a sturdy-looking man in his late forties, clad in a white kurta and panche (dhothi), comes out to receive youpersonally. Leading the way into the house (like the road, it does not betray the owner’s politician’ status) Mahalingappa settles into an easy chair. His son, a bachelor of arts who now looks after the family-owned shop, peeps from behind a curtain. Mahalingappa himself, who hails from Bisilahalli 5 km from Bellary town, has not had education after Matric. His answers are pointed. He appeals to a straight-forward logic, punctuating his statements with rustic intelligence and wisdom.

Reacting to the most-glaring fact about his candidature, being dwarfed by two high-profile opponents, Mahalingappa says: “Why will people come to see me? I am a local here. Everyone is curious to see Sushma and Sonia because they are visitors.”His poll plank also reflects the same simple logic: “These people (Sonia and Sushma) come here in helicopters to do politics. After the elections, they will go back and you will see them only in newspapers and on televisions."