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Karnataka polls: Dynastic politics continues to be a feature of major parties
It is Reddy family of Ballari, which have highest number of family members in fray. Four family members are contesting
Political dynasties continue to feature in Karnataka elections with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party having fielded more than one person from seven families, Congress from four and Janata Dal (Secular) of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda from two. The BJP has also given tickets to six candidates in place of their fathers or husbands.
In Karnataka, the families which are contesting include father-son, father-daughter, father-son-in-law and brothers.
It is Reddy family of Ballari, which have highest number of family members in fray. Four family members are contesting. Ballari City nominee and MLA Gali Somashekar Reddy and his elder brother of Harapanahalli MLA Gali Karunakara Reddy. Another brother, former minister and mining baron, Gali Janardhana Reddy, resigned from the BJP and formed the Kalyana Rajya Pragati Party. Janardhana is contesting from Gangavathi and his wife Aruna Lakshmi from his brother from Ballari city. “I am ready to contest against my brother,” Somashekara had said earlier this year.
The family of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and the Jarkiholi brothers come second. Deve Gowda’s with his two sons, H D Kumaraswamy (Channapata seat) and HD Revanna (Holenarsipura seat), and a grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy (son of HD Kumaraswamy) contesting from family bastion of Ramanagara, which is currently held by his mother, Anitha. Revanna’s son Prajwal is currently the only MP from the JD(S), while his younger son, Suraj is an MLC.
In Belgavi district, Ramesh and Balachandra are contesting on BJP ticket Gokak and Arabhavi constituencies and Satish on Congress ticket from Raichur. Ramesh was earlier in Congress and shifted to BJP in 2019 when he allegedly orchestrated defection of more than a dozen legislators resulting in the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress coalition regime, holds significant political clout in the region. “We will form a BJP government in Karnataka even if the party does not get majority,” Ramesh had said earlier this year.
Late minister and Lingayat leader Umesh Katti’s family which wields political influence in Belagavi district also got two tickets. Ramesh Katti has been chosen to contest against Ganesh Hukkeri in Chikkodi-Sadalaga seat. He is the uncle of Nikhil Katti, who has been nominated for Hukkeri seat.
Transport minister B Sriramulu and his nephew Suresh Babu have been fielded from Ballari Rural and Kampli segments, respectively, by the BJP.
Former chief minister S Bangarappa’s sons - Kumar and Madhu - will again lock horns from two different parties in the upcoming elections. Kumar Bangarappa will contest as BJP candidate from Sorab in Shivamogga district, while Madhu is a Congress candidate from there.
In Bengaluru, CV Raman Nagar MLA S Raghu is the brother-in-law of MLA and former Minister Arvind Limbavali. Limbavali is the sitting MLA from Bengaluru’s Mahadevapura constituency. While the BJP denied a ticket to Limbavali, it has chosen his wife Manjula from Mahadevapura.
Former minister Malikayya Guttedar, who has been chosen to contest from Afzalpur in Kalaburagi district, and Aland MLA Subhash Guttedar are in-laws. Both are BJP candidates
The Congress has fielded Shamanur Shivashankarappa and his son SS Mallikarjun in Davanagere. At 92, Shivashankarappa, a five-time MLA and a former Lok Sabha member is the oldest contestant while Mallikarjun is contesting from Davanagere North. Shivashankarappa refers to himself as a “galloping horse” in the electoral arena. “Only galloping horses are chosen for races. I am one such horse and I will win with the highest margin in the election,” he said, when asked about his age.
In Bengaluru, less common father-daughter combination is seen with former home minister Ramalinga Reddy and Soumya. Ramalinga Reddy, who is currently the working president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee will contest from BTM Layout, while his daughter is a candidate from neighbouring Jayanagar seat.
In another father-daughter combination, KH Muniyappa is the Congress candidate from Devanahalli (SC) seat, while his daughter Roopakala M is party’s nominee from Kolar Gold Field- SC seat. M Krishnappa and his son Priyakrishna will contest from Vijayanagar and Govindraj Nagar segments respectively on Congress tickets.
In JD(S), apart from H D Deve Gowda family, GT Devegowda is the party’s candidate from Chamundeshwari constituency, while his son Harish Gowda has been nominated from Hunsur.
However, unlike the Congress and the JD(S), the BJP has not fielded any parent-child combination for the upcoming elections. Former chief minister and Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa vacated his seat from Shikaripur in Shivamogga district, to make way for his younger son, Vijayendra’s first elections.
Tourism minister Anand Singh’s son Siddharth Singh has replaced him as the Vijayanagar candidate.
