There is fresh excitement ahead of the upcoming elections in this constituency in central Karnataka as sexual assault allegations against prominent JD(S) leader Prajwal Revanna sweep the state’s political scene.
The reason for this is that two women are in the debutant contest from the Davanagere Lok Sabha seat which will go to polls on May 7. They are Gayathri Siddeshwar (69) of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Dr Prabha Mallikarjun (48) of the Congress. Both belong to the Lingayat family of prominent politicians, with Gayathri being the Prime Minister. She is the wife of incumbent Davanagere MP GM Sidheshwara, while Prabha is the wife of state Congress minister SS Mallikarjun and daughter-in-law of Shamanur Shivashankarappa, who was re-elected to the state assembly last year at the age of 92. It is.
Known as the ‘Manchester of Karnataka’ due to its high cotton production, Davanagere is marked by political rivalry between the Sidheshwaras and Shamanur families dating back to the late ’90s. GM Sidheshwara has won the Lok Sabha constituency five times in the past (although he is not officially contesting this time due to health reasons, concerns about anti-incumbency are also believed to be a factor), but the Shamanur family I’ve always won. Click here for Vidhan Sabha elections.
In Mayakonda village, about 30 km from Davanagere town, four women are sitting on a balcony having a heated discussion about Gayathri and Prabha. Sharada, who hails from the Gola community, said: They empathize with us. Regardless of the Congress or the Bharatiya Janata Party, one can expect to be heard, especially on issues of finance and health. ”
Nirmala, who works in the fields of Mayakonda village and belongs to the Madiga SC community, chose Prabha not only because she is a woman but also because of the guarantees of the Congress including Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya and Gruha Jyoti. He said it would be. “It helped me save money and become financially independent,” she says.
Men also look forward to Gayatri and Prabha as “newcomers” with a new perspective.
“This is definitely a welcome move,” said Siddesh, a social worker from Halappanahalli, noting that the two women candidates belong to old political families in the region.
If Gayathri is campaigning to talk about the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and her husband Siddheshwar, Prabha has made promises such as turning Davanagere into a hub for the IT industry. “The Congress government will bring in investments and tap the potential of small entrepreneurs,” she told The Indian Express, adding that roads are also a priority for her.
The two women candidates will be facing Kuruba Congress rebel Vinay Kumar, who is running as an independent after being rejected by the party. Mr. Kumar is also the founder and director of Insights Active Learning (Insights IAS), a renowned academy for training civil service aspirants.
Mr Kumar’s presence in the race could hurt Mr Prabha’s chances as the Kuruba vote, which usually goes to the Congress with the community’s tallest leader, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, is likely to be split. be.
Davanagere constituency is dominated by Lingayats (both Panchamasari and Sadara). This is followed by Lambanis, Goras, Bovis and Madigas from the SC group. Valmiki Nayak tribe (tribe). And Muslims.
While the BJP is confident of consolidating Lingayat votes in the party’s favor with BS Yediyurappa’s return as a state party member, the SC and ST are supporting the Congress. The Siddaramaiah government’s assurances are believed to have further strengthened support for the party among the backward sections.
The favor given to the Chamanur family by SSIMS Hospital, which is managed by the Chamanur family, is another plus for the Congress.
In last year’s assembly elections, the Congress won seven of the eight assembly wards that fall under the Davanagere Lok Sabha constituency.
However, the party goes into the fight knowing that Lok Sabha seats remain out of its reach. “When Mallikarjunappa (Siddeshwara’s father and former Davanagere MP) passed away, an element of sympathy came into play in the Bharatiya Janata Party.The party then made political gains with its pro-Modi support and surgical strikes against Pakistan. We got it,” said district council president HB Manjappa.
However, the leader added that they are most confident in this election. “We have an advantage given the Karnataka Congress’ assurances and the party’s manifesto promises to youth, women and migrant workers. Mr Kumar could cause a 5-10 per cent drop in vote share But it will have an impact on both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. And I believe that that guarantee will have significant benefits for us beyond the community.”
Bharatiya Janata Party’s district president Rajashekhar retorted, saying, “The Bharatiya Janata Party is fighting this battle in alliance with the JD(S), which has over 150,000 votes in the region.” Moreover, Davanagere has benefited from development works carried out by the Modi government, such as railway connectivity between Tumkur and Davanagere. ”
Lingappa, a migrant worker from Mayakonda village, said he had heard about the Modi government’s plan. “But not all of it reaches the poor like us. Moreover, during his five-term stint in Parliament, Sidheshwara has failed to address issues such as the water crisis, unemployment, healthcare and housing. We couldn’t. We desperately need change.”
