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K’taka elections: Incumbent Bopaiah stares at tough poll challenge
In the upcoming Karnataka state elections, the Virajpet assembly constituency in Kodagu will see a tough fight between Congress candidate A S Ponnanna and BJP's K G Bopaiah, who has held the seat since 2008. Both candidates are using social media to reach voters, with BJP leaders raising concerns about Ponnanna's residency and his father's "anti-Hindu stand". Congress leaders have countered that "the son should not be held responsible for his father?s comments". The constituency is divided between Kodava and non-Kodava people, with some Kodava groups campaigning for a Kodava candidate.
The Virajpet assembly constituency in Kodagu has been a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for more than two decades.
Since 2008, BJP leader and former speaker K G Bopaiah has been winning the constituency.
In 2008, Bopaiah won with a margin of 14,000 votes by defeating former MLC Veena Achaiah. The margin was reduced to just 4,000 votes in 2013, following a stiff competition between Bopaiah and former District Congress Committee (DCC) president B T Pradeep. In 2018, Bopaiah defeated Congress candidate C S Arun Machaiah with a margin of 13,000 votes.
However, in the upcoming elections in the state, the constituency will witness a stiff fight between Congress candidate A S Ponnanna and BJP’s Bopaiah, people close to the developments said.
In Kadanur village of Virajpet taluk, supporters of both parties expressed confidence in their candidates’ win.
Ponnanna, is a resident of Bengaluru and native of Hudikeri in Virajpet taluk. Bopaiah is a native of Madikeri taluk, which comes under the Madikeri constituency.
Ponnanna, a former additional advocate general of the state, is trying hard to gain the confidence of the voters, people said, adding that both candidates are using social media to reach voters effectively.
In their campaign, BJP leaders are pointing out that Ponnanna is a resident of Bengaluru and an outsider and that his father, a former MLC, A K Subbaiah, is known for his “anti-Hindu stand”.
BJP leaders alleged on social media that Subbaiah desecrated Goddess Cauvery by saying there is no holy water in Tala Kaveri, hurting the sentiments of thousands of devotees. Subbaiah had also said that ‘Makara Jyothi’ in Sabarimala is “human-made”, the BJP leaders said.
However, countering this, Congress leaders said that “the son should not be held responsible for his father’s comments”.
Ponnanna has also openly said he would not support the Tipu Jayanthi celebration if voted to power.
People close to developments said as the campaign heats up, there is also a divide between Kodava and non-Kodava people, with a few Kodava groups campaigning to vote for a Kodava candidate.
“I am native of Hudikeri. I own ancestral property, a house at Hudikeri in Ponnampet taluk and a house in Virajpet. I exercise my franchise in Hudikeri school,” Ponnanna told HT.
He added, “Those alleging that I’m a native of Bengaluru should tell their leader this. Dividing votes in the name of caste, creed, and religion is not fair. People should vote based on the work done in the constituency.”
The Kodava and Vokkaliga Gowda are the two major communities in the district.
Kodavas dominate in Virajpet, while Vokkaligas are more in the Madikeri constituency.
However, Kodava candidate M P Appachu Ranjan has been winning continuously from Madikeri, while Vokkaliga candidate Bopaiah has been dominating the Kodava-dominated Virajpet constituency.
“The constituency is still backwards in developmental works. There is no mini Vidhana Soudha in Virajpet. The sub-jail building construction is still pending. The roads are completely dilapidated in rural areas of the constituency. People want change,” M Kuttappa, a small coffee grower at Ammathi in Virajpet taluk, told HT.
But Siddapura BJP worker Sharan Bopanna claimed crores of rupees had been spent on developmental works in the constituency under the leadership of Bopaiah and the BJP government.
‘’Crores of rupees have been spent on developmental works in the constituency over the last two decades. Current MLA K G Bopaiah is a dynamic leader who is always accessible and responds to people,” Virajpet taluk BJP president Nellira Chalan told HT. “In the last three years, landslides and incessant rainfall have plagued the constituency, and Bopaiah has stood with the people. People will bring Bopaiah back to power,” he added.
Meanwhile, Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) has fielded Mansoor Ali in Virajpet. But the party has no base in the constituency, and the votes limited are limited to a few thousand, according to previous elections.
“Here, the votes are mainly driven by religion and Hindutva. The Tipu Jayanti introduced by the Congress government is a setback to the party in the district as the dominant Kodava community hates Tipu as he massacred and converted Kodavas in the 18th century,” M K Venkatesh, a political expert, said.
“MLA Bopaiah is facing an anti-incumbency wave since he has been representing for two decades. The constituency is also lacking developmental works, while on social media, the party workers are raising communal issues to divert the attention of the voters,” Venkatesh said.
“Virajpet is a strong bastion of Hindutva for decades and voters are influenced by this while ignoring developmental issues,” M K Palangappa, a coffee grower in Ponnampet, said. “The roads in rural areas are still not fit for commute due to heavy rains during the rainy season and poor-quality work,” he complained.
There are 213,294 voters in the constituency, including general voters, NRI and service voters. Amongst the general voters 106,679 are male, 1,06,057 female and ten others.
With the entry of Ponnappa, there is hope for a new leader in the constituency, although the mandate will be known only on May 13.
