Nikhil Kumaraswamy
| Photo Credit:

A cracker of a contest is under way as film actors-turned-politicians battle it out in the Channapatna Assembly constituency that has drawn Statewide attention, and the byelection results here are expected to have consequences on the Vokkaliga-dominated politics in the region.

While Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is looking to avenge the defeat of his brother D.K. Suresh in the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy not only is keen to consolidate his position among the Vokkaligas but is also trying to revive the political fortunes of his son. The byelection was necessitated as Mr. Kumaraswamy vacated the seat after winning the Lok Sabha election from Mandya.

The political heavyweight in the district and five-time legislator C.P. Yogeshwar quit the BJP to join the Congress in a last-minute party-hopping and is pitted against Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is in the electoral fray to test his luck for the third time. He lost the Lok Sabha election in Mandya in 2019 and the Assembly election in Ramanagara in 2023. Incidentally, both have had careers in Kannada films and have lost two previous elections.

Though lack of employment opportunities locally is strongly felt and the constituency faces long-pending development issues, the byelection is being fought on political and individual achievements. While the JD(S) claims credit for constructing the Iggalur barrage that is serving water needs, Mr. Yogeshwar claims credit for filling 17 tanks using water from the barrage.

Narrow margin?

The intense election in this constituency is likely to be marked by a narrow-margin victory while pollsters are also expecting the polling percentage to go up. In 2023, the voter turnout was a little over 85%. “The byelection is being fought like a gram panchayat election where every vote counts.,” said Suresh Shivabasavaiah, a JD(S) worker at Kodamballi.

Women, who outnumber male voters in the constituency, will hold the key, and the Congress is hoping that the guarantees, especially the Gruha Lakhsmi and Shakti, would attract women voters. While the Vokkaligas constitute nearly half of the total 2.3 lakh voters, Muslim and backward-class voters are being seen as crucial. Kuruba, Bestha, Tigala, and Urs communities comprise the main backward-class votes. Scheduled Caste voters are also in good numbers. The JD(S), which derives strength from its Vokkaliga voter base, is trying to break into the backward-class votes while it is also strategising to convince Muslim voters, many of whom had backed JD(S) till 2023 before the regional party moved into an alliance with the BJP. The Congress, which is believed to have polled about 85,00 votes in the 2024 parliamentary election, believes it has the potential to wrest the seat from the JD(S), with the consolidation of Muslim and backward-class votes along with the division of Vokkaliga votes.

The last-minute hopping to the Congress and change of symbol will neither deter nor confuse voters, insists Mr. Yogeshwar, who is accompanied by Mr. Suresh, former Bengaluru Rural MP. He claims there is a dedicated voter base of about 75,000 for him. “I have proved it in every election. The symbol does not matter much.” For the young Mr. Nikhil Kumaraswamy, support is coming in a big way from his family — grandfather and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and father, Mr. Kumaraswamy — besides the entire JD(S) machinery and a host of BJP leaders backing him.

Though the JD(S) and the BJP saw their elected councillors in the Channapatna Municipal Council jumping ship to the Congress, JD(S) leaders say they were already with the Congress during parliamentary elections and their desertion will not have much consequence. Amid the heated battle, Channapatna grassroots politics is also witnessing a silent churn. With Mr. Yogeshwar joining the Congress, political equations in villages that are his stronghold are also changing.

While JD(S) and BJP workers call Mr. Yogeshwar a “jumping star” for his party-hopping antics over the decades, his supporters hit back and ask if Mr. Nikhil Kumaraswamy was not a “jumping star” for his constituency-hopping, pointing at Mandya and Ramanagara elections where he has lost. Gavi Shetty of Vitlenahalli pointed out that the JD(S) itself has changed positions once being with the Congress and now being with the BJP.

Bengaluru:

Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy got relief from the Karnataka High Court in connection with the FIR registered against him based on the complaint by Lokayukta SIT ADGP M Chandrashekar.

The High Court bench passed the order on Wednesday while looking into the petition by Kumaraswamy seeking quashing of the FIR. ADGP Chandrashekhar has registered the complaint against Union Minister Kumaraswamy at Bengaluru’s Sanjaynagar Police Station.

The High Court has ordered that no coercive action be taken against him and granted him interim relief.

Senior counsel Hashmat Pasha, appearing for Kumaraswamy, argued that the police are attempting to cancel a 10-year-old anticipatory bail by reviving the case.

The High Court ruled that the FIR cannot be used to revoke old anticipatory bail. Additionally, the High Court recorded a statement from the State Public Prosecutor (SPP) that no coercive measures would be taken against Kumaraswamy in this matter.

Karnataka Police had registered an FIR against Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday as per the directions of a court.

Senior IPS officer Chandrashekar had accused Kumaraswamy of defaming and threatening him and his family.

Sanjaynagar police in Bengaluru had registered the FIR against Kumaraswamy.

The FIR is registered under Section 224 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.

The police have named Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy as the second accused in the case.

C B Suresh Babu, the JD-S party floor leader in the Legislative Assembly is named as the third accused in the case.

The police had taken a non-cognisable miscellaneous case.

Chandrashekar had approached the court demanding registration of an FIR against Kumaraswamy.

Chandrashekar, in his complaint to the court, had alleged that he had been heading the SIT team probing a case of illegal mining in 2014 – case no. 16/2014 and after getting additional evidence in the case, the investigating team had sought sanction of prosecution from the Governor recently.

In response to this, HD Kumaraswamy held a press conference on September 28 and 29 – where the minister made malicious accusations, threatening the IPS officer and his family members.

The IPS officer, in his complaint to the court, alleged that Kumaraswamy orally threatened him that he would be shunted to another state cadre and also made ill-intended allegations against his family members.

In reply to the charges, Chandrashekar wrote a letter to his staff and refuted all allegations calling it false and malicious.

Chandrashekar concluded his letter by quoting George Bernard Shaw’s famous lines, “Never wrestle with a pig because you’ll both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”

Kumaraswamy expressed outrage on Tuesday, calling the FIR filed against him based on a complaint by a senior IPS officer, Lokayukta SIT chief, M. Chandrashekar as “ridiculous and malicious.”

Kumaraswamy responded to media questions, saying, “During this by-election, the Congress-led state government is targeting us out of sheer animosity. I will respond to this through the judiciary.”

“I have read the FIR and the complaint’s content. It is completely ridiculous and clearly malicious. The complainant has stated that I allegedly made accusations against him in a press conference and has asked for action. Did I provide false information about him? He can review my press conference video if he wants,” said the Union Minister.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)