Congress candidate Madhu Madegowda, who enjoyed a head start in the poll campaign that started barely months following the death of his father G. Madegowda, a prominent farmers’ leader in the Cauvery heartland, has given the Congress party its first-ever victory in the elections to the Legislative Council from South Graduates constituency.
Hitherto, the Congress had never won from the constituency spread across Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, and Chamarajanagar ever since it was created in 1992. Out of the six elections held in the constituency so far, including one bypolls, the BJP has won on four occasions while the JD(S) emerged victorious twice, including the elections held in June 2016.
Major setback to JD(S)
Mr. Madhu’s victory has not only poured cold water on the hopes of the BJP to clinch the seat after losing it by a narrow margin during the previous polls in June 2016, but also serves as a major setback to the JD(S), which failed to retain the seat in its stronghold.
The open rebellion by JD(S) MLC Marithibbe Gowda against the party’s official candidate H.K. Ramu also appears to have helped the Congress cause. No less a person than Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president R. Dhruvanarayan acknowledged Mr. Marithibbe’s campaign in favour of the party candidate and also said, in response to a question from reporters, that the doors of the party were open to him.
Caste factor
The BJP may have put up united front in its determined bid to wrest the seat and send a message that the party was making inroads in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysore region, but party sources do not rule out the possibility of caste factor spoiling its chances. Unlike Mr. Madhu and Mr. Ramu, BJP’s M.V. Ravishankar does not belong to the Vokkaliga community.
Congress spokesperson H.A. Venkatesh said the party chose Mr. Madhu as its candidate more than six months before the elections, giving him enough time to reach out to the voters. While the BJP candidate Mr. Ravishankar faced a challenge to his nomination by former MLC G. Madhusudan, JD(S) candidate Mr. Ramu’s nomination was questioned by long-time partyman and aspirant Keelara Jayaram, a close confidante of Mr. Marithibbe.
Mr. Madhu also enjoyed the sympathy among the voters towards his late father Madegowda, who not only served as an MLA and MP in the region, but was also in the forefront of Cauvery agitation.
The victory of the Congress party in the Old Mysore region will also come as a shot in the arm for former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
