Many supporters of the Congress, who worked to help the party win all the five constituencies in Chikkamagaluru district in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, are unhappy with K. Jayaprakash Hegde, an ‘outsider’, finding a place among the contenders for the party’s ticket for the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha seat.
Jayaprakash Hegde, who worked as chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, has not yet joined the Congress. However, his name figures in the panel of names before the party’s screening committee. This has upset other ticket aspirants, and party workers in the district.
Mr. Hegde contested from the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru seat in 2009 on the Congress ticket and lost to D.V. Sadananda Gowda of the BJP. He got another chance in the 2012 by-election, necessitated by the resignation of Sadananda Gowda, and defeated V. Sunil Kumar of the BJP. In the 2014 general elections, he lost to Shobha Karandlaje. In 2019, the Congress-JD(S) coalition fielded Pramod Madhwaraj, but the former minister could not dislodge Shobha Karandlaje. Madhwaraj later joined the BJP.
The Congress expelled Mr. Hegde after he contested as an independent candidate against the party’s candidate Prathapchandra Shetty in the Council elections. Later, Mr. Hegde joined the BJP and became chairman of the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes.
Other aspirants for Udupi-Chikkamagaluru seat
Of the eight Assembly constituencies in the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru parliamentary segment, the Congress has MLAs in Chikkamagaluru, Sringeri, Tarikere and Mudigere. The remaining four – Kaup, Udupi, Karkala and Kundapura – all in Udupi district, are represented by BJP MLAs.
Kadur Assembly segment is in Chikkamagaluru district, but falls within Hassan Lok Sabha constituency.
The other aspirants for the Congress ticket are Dr. Anshumanth, president of the District Congress Committee, and Sudhir Kumar Murolli, the party’s spokesperson.
Dr. Anshumanth wants the ticket on the basis of his efforts, which resulted in the party’s victory in five Assembly seats in Chikkamagaluru district. Even after being appointed chairman of the Bhadra Command Area Development Authority, he maintained that he would be a contender for the Lok Sabha ticket.
Mr. Sudhir Kumar was with pro-Hindutva factions before he became a part of the Congress. He is banking on his ability to connect with people and workers in both districts. Often, his speeches criticising the BJP go viral on social media. A couple of sitting and former MLAs of the constituency are said to be favouring his candidature.
Since the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency was created, following the delimitation in 2008, the Congress has not fielded a candidate from Chikkamagaluru district.
“When the party has defeated the BJP in all constituencies in Chikkamagaluru district, the Congress should make use of the opportunity to strengthen its base by fielding a suitable local candidate,” argued a senior party functionary.
Another leader maintained that Mr. Hegde had not been in touch with party workers in Chikkamagaluru since 2014. It would be difficult to convince supporters to work for a leader who had been with the opposite party all these years.
Indira Gandhi put Chikkamagaluru in national headlines
For decades, Chikkamagaluru was a bastion of the Congress. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi chose this constituency in 1978 after the party’s poor performance in the post-Emergency general elections. The Congress started losing ground when the dispute over Sri Guru Dattatreya Bababudan Swamy Dargah in Chikkamagaluru began dividing people along communal lines.
