In Old Mysuru, BJP looks to break up the JD(S)-Congress show

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai arrive to attend BJP’s Central Election Committee meeting, ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, in New Delhi, Sunday, April 9, 2023. (PTI Photo)

South Karnataka is dominated by the Vokkaliga community, said to be the second-most dominant community in the state, that has largely favoured either the JD(S) or the Congress over the years. The JD(S) had a resurgence in the region in the 2018 polls but at the expense of the Congress.

Results of the last two polls also indicate that the Congress has lost its edge in this part of the state as its tally reduced from 26 in 2008 to 16 in 2018. This time, the Congress is hopeful that state Congress president and Vokkaliga leader D K Shivakumar, who represents the Kankapura constituency in Ramanagar, can swing his community’s votes in its favour.

The Congress has vacated the Melukote seat in Mandya to the Sarvodaya Karnataka Party, which is backed by various farmer groups, and is looking to cash in on the support from the unions.

Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who wields influence in the Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts, is also expected to play a key role. Congress leader Ramesh Kumar recently said the former CM’s contest from the Kolar could benefit the party in neighbouring Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts too.

The BJP’s efforts to mobilise in the region have yet to pay dividends. Unlike other parts of the state where it has strong leaders with the backing of their respective communities, the BJP does not have a Vokkaliga leader to challenge the status of either Shivakumar or JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy. Only two leaders from the region — K Narayanagowda and K Sudhakar — have found representation in the Cabinet of the Basavraj Bommai-led government.

Independent MP from Mandya Sumalatha Ambareeesh’s recent move to extend support to the BJP grabbed headlines. However, insiders say it would not have a “strong impact” as Sumalatha’s base was “restricted”, having won the 2019 polls largely due to support from the Congress and farmers’ groups.

But the real test here is for the JD(S). With party leader H D Kumaraswamy aggressively campaigning to retain the Vokkaliga core support base, the party is attempting to retain its tally from 2018 when it won 25 constituencies after sweeping all seven seats in Mandya and six of the seven seats in Hassan.