Public campaigning ends for Karnataka parliamentary by-polls

Bangalore, Aug 19 (IANS): Public campaigning ended Monday for the Aug 21 by-polls to two Lok Sabha seats from Karnataka with ruling Congress and the JD(S) making winning them a matter of prestige.

The two constituencies, Bangalore Rural and Mandya, about 80 km from Bangalore, will see direct fight between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) as the Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew its candidates in support of the latter.

The constituencies are considered JD(S) stronghold and the by-polls follow resignation of the party's Lok Sahba members, H.D. Kumaraswamy from Bangalore Rural and N. Cheluvarayaswamy from Mandya after they got elected to the Karnataka assembly in the May 5 elections.

The two by-polls are the first the Congress faces after returning to power in the state in the May 5 assembly elections on its own after nine years.

Snatching the two seats from JD(S) in its strongholds would be a further morale booster for the Congress ahead of the general elections due in April-May next.

Kumarswamy, son of JD(S) president and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda has fielded his wife Anita Kumaraswamy from Bangalore Rural.

Anita is pitted against Congress' D.K. Suresh, the younger brother of Congress legislator D.K. Shivakumar.

The Shivakumar and Gowda families, both belonging to politically influential Vokkaliga community, are bitter political rivals for the control of the Bangalore Rural seat.

In Mandya, which is also the home district of former chief minister and former external affairs minister S.M. Krishna, the battle is between popular Kananda film actress Ramya of Congress and C.S. Puttaraju of JD(S).

Both the candidates belong to the Vokkaliga community as it dominates the southern part of Karnataka of which Bangalore Rural and Mandya are part.

The community constitutes about 15 percent of the state over 60 million population and is concentrated in the southern parts.

Vote counting is on Aug 24.

Bitter attack on each other, often of personal nature, by the Congress and JD(S) leaders marked the campaign.

BJP's decision to withdraw its nominees from the contest gave a big handle to the Congress to taunt Gowda on his claim to be a staunch secularist.

Gowda has been at pains to tell the voters in the two constituencies that he had not entered into any tie-up or understanding with the "communal" BJP but that party is "supporting JD(S) on its own".

However, Gowda's explanation took a beating Sunday as senior BJP leader and former minister R. Ashoka campaigned along with Anita Kumaraswamy in Bangalore Rural constituency.

Earlier Report

Karnataka Lok Sabha bypoll campaign reaches peak

Bangalore, Aug 19 (DHNS): With just a day remaining for the public campaign for the August 21 byelections to Bangalore Rural and Mandya Lok Sabha constituencies, the Congress and the JD(S) on Sunday intensified their campaign.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara, former external affairs minister S M Krishna and Union ministers M Veerappa Moily and K H Muniyappa campaigned for the Congress candidate D K Suresh at Rajarajeshwaranagar, while BJP leader R Ashoka conducted a roadshow seeking votes for JD(S) candidate Anitha Kumaraswamy.

BJP supports JD(S)

It was for the first time a BJP leader openly campaigned for the JD(S). Anitha too was present with Ashoka during the roadshow.

The JD(S) has entered into an understanding with the BJP for the bypoll.

Reacting to Gowda’s reported statement that he was tortured by Krishna as the chief minister, the former external affairs minister said if he really wanted to target Gowda, his administration would have ordered a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the Upper Krishna Project.

“The file on UKP scam that took place when Gowda was chief minister was before me. The House committee had strongly recommended for a CBI probe. Had I wanted to torture Gowda, I could have ordered CBI probe, but I didn't do it,” Krishna stated.

On Gowda's allegation that the Congress did not make dalit leader Mallikarjuna Kharge the chief minister, Siddaramaiah said the former prime minister could have made D Manjunath, a dalit the chief minister. Instead, he made his son H D Kumaraswamy the chief minister in 2006.

Siddaramaiah said the father-son duo of Gowda and Kumaraswamy are jealous because he became the chief minister. They have become fish out of water.

“Kumaraswamy has been saying that I will not remain in office for long. But I will remain in office as long as I have people’s blessings and support of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi,” he stated. The public campaign for the bypolls will end at 5 pm on Monday.