Undecided Vokkaligas Key to Siddaramaiah’s Fate in Chamundeshwari

How the undecided Vokkaliga voters will decide Siddaramaiah fate in Chamundeshwari constituency.

Two hundred and fifty seven. This is the thin margin of votes that salvaged Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s political career in 2006.

After being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular) due to differences with party supremo HD Deve Gowda, winning back his mandate in the by-election to Chamundeshwari presented a do-or-die situation for Siddaramaiah.

Siddaramaiah joined the Congress on 23 July 2006 in Bengaluru in the presence of then party president, Sonia Gandhi, soon after he spilt from the JD(S).

Before the 2006 by-election, two of his trusted lieutenants – GT Deva Gowda and Jaya Kumar – refused to follow him to the Congress and chose to remain loyal to the JD(S). The JD(S) employed its entire political machinery to ensure Siddaramaiah’s defeat. Ironically, even in the Congress, a section of party members thought of him as an outsider and worked to ensure his defeat.

With so many against him, Siddaramaiah still managed to win the bypoll – albeit with a margin of 257 votes.

Back to the Turf

Twelve years later, Siddaramaiah is back to Chamundeshwari. The JD(S) has once again vowed to ensure his defeat, and his former lieutenant GT Deve Gowda is ready to take on the Congress heavyweight.

Unlike 2006, Siddaramaiah is more powerful than he is vulnerable. For him, the situation is not half as bad as 2006. However, his party doesn’t hold the same confidence because of caste equations of the constituency.

How Siddaramaiah’s Confidence Measures Against Caste Equations

“Siddaramaiah and only Siddaramaiah is certain of a win in Chamundeshwari,” said a senior leader privy to discussions on seat sharing. At the same time, the Congress insisted that he contest from two seats because of the caste equations of in the Chamundeshwari constituency.

In 2008, the Chamundeshwari constituency was split into two – Varuna and Chamundeshwari – during the delimitation process. This led to a large chuck of the Kuruba votes, an OBC community to which Siddaramaiah belongs, shifting to the newly-formed Varuna constituency, while Vokkaligas, the traditional JD(S) vote bank, became the majority in Chamundeshwari constituency.

Ever since the delimitation, Siddaramaiah has only contested the Assembly elections from Varuna constituency – in 2008 and 2013. However, in 2018, he gave up this seat for his son, Yathindra, and decided to contest from Chamundeshwari instead.

Although no official figures are available, estimates suggest Chamundeshwari has close to 70,000 Vokkaligas. While the Dalit, OBC and Muslim electorate is 1.2 lakh, the Lingayat community constitute 30,000 votes in the constituency.

Soon after Siddaramaiah announced he would contest from Chamundeshwari, rumours of a possible deal between the JD(S) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to consolidate the Lingayat and Vokkaliga votes surfaced. As these rumours gained credibility, the Congress wanted Siddaramaiah to contest from a second constituency as well.

“But Siddaramaiah and only Siddaramaiah insisted that he would win in Chamundeshwari,” reiterated the leader.

Convincing Siddaramaiah To Contest from Second Seat

Troubled by the undercurrents suggesting a deal between the JD(S) and the BJP, many leaders in the Congress wanted Siddaramaiah to contest from Badami in North Karnataka.

As Siddaramaiah continued to resist, the party leadership proposed that him contesting from North Karnataka will help consolidate the party’s position in region, which has over 90 seats to offer.

“Party leaders argued that the Chief Ministerial candidate contesting from North Karnataka will provide the people reassurance and help the party further consolidate its vote bank in the North Karnataka region. To this, he agreed,” said a senior Congress leader.

Kurubas Rally Behind Siddaramaiah, and Lingayats Against him

In the villages of Chamundeshwari, Kurubas and Muslims remain loyal to Siddaramaiah, while the Lingayats, angered by creation of the new Lingayat religion, plan to vote against him.

The residents of Halekaamana Koppala, a Kuruba-dominated village, say that more than their loyalty towards Siddaramaiah, the discrimination from the sitting MLA, GT Deve Gowda, a Vokkaliga, has led to them to back the Congress.

“MLA Deve Gowda doesn’t entertain us when he sees our village’s name. He knows we are from a Kuruba populated village. Siddaramaiah may not be available because he is the Chief Minister, but he would certainly get our needs fulfilled,” said Ramesh, a 27-year-old farmer.

Few kilometres away, the Nagawala village is dominated by Lingayats. Here, the BJP has given a call to its supporters to vote for the JD(S) candidate. “Veerashaivas and Lingayats are one, but Siddaramaiah is trying to divide the Lingayat community. Even though we are BJP supporters, we will vote for the JD(S) to defeat Siddaramaiah,” said 51-year-old Kumara, a farmer.

The Undecided Vokkaliga Will Be Crucial

But it is the Vokkaliga community that is divided. BK Gowda, a 56-year-old Vokkaliga resident of Belawadi village, said that even though their MLA was a Vokkaliga, no development has happened in his village.

There are no proper sanitation lines in our village and sometimes it is hard to sit outside your own house because of the smell. So why should I vote for someone who doesn’t work for us? For caste? 

BK Gowda, a Vokkaliga voter

During the 2014 Lok Sabha election, many Vokkaligas in Belawadi had voted for the BJP because of the Narendra Modi. “So, the concept of Vokkaligas voting en bloc is a myth. Vokkaliga votes are always divided and some of it goes to the Congress as well. The big question is how many votes will go to the Congress,” said Rame Gowda, another villager.

Those Vokkaligas who want to vote for the JD(S) are doing so because of JD(S) chief ministerial candidate HD Kumaraswamy, and not the local MLA, as well as anti-incumbency against the sitting MLA. This may work in Siddaramaiah’s favour. But the JD(S) has been focusing its efforts on consolidating the Vokkaliga vote bank, claiming that Siddaramaiah has been ignoring the community.

In a matter of the few weeks, how these undecided Vokkaliga voters will swing will decide Siddaramaiah fate in the Chamundeshwari constituency. 

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