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Journalism of Courage
Any uncertainties that Basavaraj Bommai may have had about his prospects in Shiggaon are now gone. Locals feel it will be a breeze for the incumbent Chief Minister — who has represented the constituency thrice since 2008 — mainly because of a lack of a ‘strong candidate’ against him. The Congress, Bommai’s main opposition, wavered in its choice of a challenger, as it decided to change the candidate it had fielded within a day of his filing of nomination papers.
Voters in the constituency, which is part of Haveri district in Belagavi division, also known as Kittur Karnataka, are mostly appreciative of the works carried out in the segment, though there were some who rue that development activities are restricted only to some parts of Shiggaon.
A daily wage labourer from Shiggaon, Maqbool Nadaf, says conditions are favourable for Bommai to record his fourth win from the constituency. “Though the Congress has fielded Yasir Khan Pathan, the BJP is the favourite to win,” he says. The Congress brought in Pathan, a former zilla panchayat member, after initially fielding Yusuf Savanur from the seat.
Among those with grouses against the CM is Mutthappa Valmiki. “Bommai has not done any work for Savanur taluk. He has given everything to Shiggaon taluk, but not us. We want the Congress candidate to win,” he says. Savanur taluk straddles both Shiggaon and Haveri constituencies.
During the course of the protests by the Panchamasalis — a Lingayat sub-sect — seeking reservation under the ‘2A’ category in the state, there were fears that Bommai could face landmines getting re-elected, as around a third of the voters in Shiggaon are Panchamasalis. Hence, there were talks that he would shift to a constituency in Davanagere district. However, the recent hike in reservations for Lingayats seem to have helped. “I don’t think the protests will be an issue. All prominent Panchamasali leaders are campaigning for Bommai,” Ramesh Yadwad, who runs a store in Shiggaon, says.
Some voters feel the contest for the segment would have been fierce had the Congress pitted former minister Vinay Kulkarni against the CM. Saibjaan from Savur village says the Congress candidate “…is not strong here. If it were Kulkarni, then it would have been tough for Bommai. Now, clearly Bommai has the edge”. The Congress had considered fielding Kulkarni, a Panchamasali Lingayat leader, against Bommai, a Sadar Lingayat, as Panchamasalis are the single largest group in the segment. However, according to party sources, Kulkarni was not keen on the contest.
The constituency has around 2.1 lakh voters, of whom around 35 per cent are Panchamasalis. Around 25-30 per cent of the voters are Muslims, and Kurubas form around 20 per cent of the electorate.
Bommai, who was in Shiggaon on April 19 to file his second set of nomination papers, made an emotional appeal to his constituents. With BJP national president J P Nadda and actor Sudeep in tow, Bommai recalled his contributions to Shiggaon — such as a 250-bed hospital (which is under construction) — and said he is indebted to the people of Shiggaon.
“Some people spread rumours that I’d leave Shiggaon to contest from Davanagere. But I am not a CM who runs away,” he said.
