File photos of Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, President of the State Congress DK Shivakumar and JDS Chief HD Kumaraswamy. (PTI photos)
The Sira and RR Nagara by-elections are a matter of personal prestige for the three main parties in the fray. While the names on the ballots are different, political experts say the contest is actually between Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, President of the State Congress DK Shivakumar, and JDS Chief HD Kumaraswamy.
- News18 Bengaluru
- Last update: September 30, 2020 11:54 AM M. IST
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Two seats in the Karnataka assembly, Sira and RR Nagara, will vote in a partial vote on November 3. The death of JDS MLA Sathyanarayana required elections in Sira, while the defection from the MLA M Muniratna Congress to the BJP led to by-elections in RR Nagara. Sira is located in the Tumkur district and RR Nagara is located on the outskirts of Bengaluru city.
The election is a matter of personal prestige for the three main parties in the fray: the ruling BJP, the main opposition Congress and the third JDS party. While the names on the ballots are different, political experts say the contest is actually between Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, President of the State Congress DK Shivakumar, and JDS Chief HD Kumaraswamy.
Both seats are in the ancient Mysore region, which is also in the Vokkaliga strongholds. Winning both seats is a must for DK Shivakumar, who is also from the same caste. Furthermore, it is his first election after assuming the position of president of the KPCC six months ago. A defeat may work against him in a faction-ridden Congress, which hopes to return to power under his leadership in the next assembly elections.
Congress has already declared the candidacy of former minister and veteran leader TB Jayachandra de Sira. A six-time MLA, Jayachandra lost the last assembly election to JDS by a small margin. The Vokkaliga leader is now trying to go back to settle accounts with the former congressional alliance partner. It has already started campaigning across the district.
Congress is pinning hopes on Jayachandra’s image and Shivakumar’s abilities to tilt the election in his favor.
The JDS, however, seems directionless, with the appearance of Shivakumar proving to be a major obstacle in his free run in the Vokkaliga areas.
Although the party is not based in Sira, the ruling BJP has decided to put up a big fight. Yediyurappa has formed a Golla Development Corporation taking into account the elections. The Golla caste has a sizeable population in Sira.
RR Nagara is part of the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seat represented by Shivakumar’s younger brother, DK Suresh. It is the only seat that Congress could win in Karnataka’s 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Shivakumar has said that Congress would present a surprise candidate from RR Nagara. The BJP has yet to decide on its candidate and there is no guarantee that it will include Muniratna, who defected to the saffron party to make BSY CM last year.
The JDS also has good support here and could hurt the prospects of Congress, indirectly helping the BJP. A victory or a defeat will have no impact on the stability of the BSY government. But neither the BJP nor Congress nor the JDS can afford to lose a battle of optics.
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