The makeshift helipad at a government school ground in Harapanahalli, about three hours from Hubballi, is watered to keep the dust down. But when veteran leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s blue chopper rattles down to land, it still kicks up a mini storm. He is here to campaign for Congress candidate, N Kotresh, and address a rally in the town. Siddaramaiah asks us to come to a party worker’s house to meet him after the rally, where he will be going for lunch. “So far the election is looking good. According to my assessment—I have been campaigning for a long time, for the Janata Dal, the Janata Party and for the Congress—I can tell that people this time are with the Congress. They want change; the BJP will not come back to power. They have not projected anyone to be their next leader or the chief minister,” says Siddaramaiah, who at 75, has announced that this will be his last election.
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The Congress hasn’t announced its chief ministerial candidate either. Is there a tussle between him and Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar (DKS)? “Yes, he is a contender. The practice is that the Congress has never projected a chief minister, particularly in Karnataka. It goes by a very democratic process. The elected MLAs will decide and will give their opinion. Then the ‘high command’ will take a decision,” he says. Party workers we meet say the fight for the top post between him and DKS will ratchet up if the Congress gets a majority, and whose supporters win more seats. “Siddaramaiah is a more senior leader and he has the experience of running a government. DKS is the challenger. The final decision will be of the ‘high command’, DKS listens to Sonia Gandhi,” says a three-time Congress MLA.
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We pass through Varuna, near Mysuru, where Siddaramaiah is contesting. Here, the majority are Lingayats. Some voters say it will not be a cakewalk for him, as his main opponent is BJP’s V. Somanna, who is a Lingayat leader. We meet Siddaramaiah’s son and the present MLA from Varuna, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, a mild-mannered medical doctor, at a wedding hall, where he is addressing Congress party workers. He says he has nurtured the constituency and given it up for his father this time. “We are in a strong position. But we have to convince the voters to stay with us. Yes, Lingayats are the majority here and our opponent from the BJP is a Lingayat. BJP’s IT cell, which is a factory of lies, is very active. But we have set up a clear narrative,” he says.
The rally at Harapanahalli is well-attended and Siddaramaiah has, so far, lived up to his stature; not making any personal jibes against BJP leaders and talking mostly about the Congress’ promises in the manifesto. But as we reach the shrill end of the campaigning in Karnataka, the question remains: can the Congress hold up to the arsenal stored in the opponent’s camp?
