The Economic Times daily newspaper is available online now.

    JD(S) votes crucial for Congress’ Muniyappa in Kolar

    Synopsis

    The Congress and JD(S) have been like chalk and cheese, and have traditionally fought each other in every election.

    Untitled-13Agencies
    Though JD(S) has backed the Congress candidate, many of its supporters are unsure
    KOLAR: Veteran Congress leader KH Muniyappa is seeking re-election for the eighth time in a row from the drought-hit Lok Sabha seat of Kolar.

    The fact that the Congress’ coalition partner in the Karnataka government, JD(S), is not only not in the race but has also thrown its weight behind him has given him relief. But this arrangement has also left him with a question: Will JD(S) workers obey their party bosses and support him at the ground level?

    Understandable because the Congress and JD(S) have been like chalk and cheese, and have traditionally fought each other in every election.

    The BJP has bravely fielded a relative novice, S Muniswamy, a first-time municipal councillor in Bengaluru. He will no doubt get the traditional BJP votes, but he might also land some additional votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    In the past, Kolar, an SC seat, has seen a triangular fight. In the absence of a JD(S) candidate this time, the party workers and voters are unsure whom to elect. With several JD(S) workers and party voters this correspondent spoke to expressing unwillingness to back the Congress, the traditional JD(S) votes are likely to make or break Muniyappa’s hopes.

    “I have worked for the JD(S) for the longest time. Had the JD(S) fielded a candidate, I would have worked for my party this time too. But the Congress and JD(S) workers have always been rivals and it just doesn’t feel good to work for the Congress candidate,” confessed S Shankarappa, a JD(S) worker in Kolar. When asked whom he would support, he said he was undecided yet. “It could either be the BJP or an Independent,” he said.

    The wave of anti-incumbency and the growing dissent within the local Congress unit against Muniyappa are likely to play out too. So might the unhappiness among sections of voters regarding his performance as an MP. Narayanaswamy, a fruit merchant in Sidlaghatta, said, “I have always voted for the Congress But when I see the bad roads, unemployment and water scarcity that Kolar is facing, I am planning to change my voting preference.”

    Weeks ahead of the election, a few local Congress leaders including Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar have openly spoken against their MP. In fact, former Mulbagal MLA Kothur G Manjunath and MLA H Nagesh have openly declared their support to the BJP candidate. Local party leaders say that a meeting organised by Kothur Manjunath in Kolar on Monday saw about 5,000 people in attendance.

    But the Congress leaders and workers appear unfazed. “Every election that Muniyappa has fought has witnessed dissent within the party. But he has risen like a phoenix every time,” said Nagaraj Gowda, president of Kolar’s Kisan Congress. Like many other followers of Muniyappa, Gowda too believes that the Congress candidate will come out victorious with the help of JD(S) votes.

    The BJP is pursuing its own strategy to overcome the challenge of the party fielding a new face. The leaders are seeking votes in the name of Modi. “It is not Muniyappa versus Muniswamy. It is Modi versus the rest,” said S Krishna Reddy, a former BJP district president. When buttonholed, Muniswamy said: “I am not asking people to vote for me, but for Modi and against Muniyappa.”


    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2024 News, Budget 2024 Live Coverage, Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

    ...more

    (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
    (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2024 News, Budget 2024 Live Coverage, Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

    Download The Economic Times News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.

    Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

    ...more
    The Economic Times

    Stories you might be interested in