The political discourse in Mandya district, known as the sugar bowl of Karnataka, has long been dictated by the Cauvery issue or by Vokkaliga identity. The traditional rivals in the State, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), have always shared the electoral spoils. With the exception of winning a by-election in 2019 from the K.R. Pet Assembly constituency, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not won any Lok Sabha or Assembly seat in the district.
The party, therefore, is leaving no stone unturned to change this. Recently, a saffron flag with an image of Hanuman, which was flying from a 108-foot tall flagpole on government land in Keragodu village, about 12 km from the district headquarters, was replaced by the government with the national tricolour. The sensitive issue comes close on the heels of the BJP joining hands with the JD(S), a potent electoral force in the Vokkaliga heartland, to fight the Lok Sabha elections.
The saffron flag was replaced by the national flag amid strong protests on January 28. The local administration pointed out that permission had been given to a private trust to hoist either the national flag or the Karnataka flag on the flagpole.
