By M K Ashoka

Bengaluru, Apr 15 (IANS): The decision of the BJP to field senior leader and former Deputy Chief Minister R. Ashoka against Karnataka Congress president D.K. Shivakumar is being described as a good move. However, the contest will only bring down the winning margin of Shivakumar who is vying for the post of Chief Minister this time, according to ground reports.

Kanakapura constituency in Bengaluru Rural district is considered a fortress of Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA and seen as a pillar of strength for the state Congress. Shivakumar represented Sathanur constituency earlier and won four times since 1989. In the 1999 assembly elections he defeated former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy.

After the delimitation of seats, the Sathanur constituency became defunct and Shivakumar represented Kanakapura constituency in 2008. Since then, Shivakumar's vote share has been increasing. He garnered 68,096 votes in 2008, in 2013 elections 1,00,007 votes were polled for him. In 2018 Shivakumar polled 1,27,552 votes. His nearest rival Narayana Gowda of JD (S) got 47,643 votes.

The disproportionate assets case and corruption allegations, his imprisonment in Tihar Jail have only strengthened the vote base of Shivakumar. He is one among the few leaders who could challenge the hegemony of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda's family in south Karnataka and succeed.

The BJP was non-existent in the constituency until the controversy of building the tallest Jesus Christ statue arose. Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and Hindu activists swarmed the Kanakapura constituency and staged agitations and dharnas opposing the construction of the statue.

According to BJP sources, the party intends to raise the issue of the attempt to construct the statue of Jesus Christ during the campaign. It is also planning a high voltage campaign by party bigwigs, making it a keen contest.

R. Ashoka, is minister for revenue in Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's cabinet. He was also made the deputy chief minister by the party earlier. He was the Vokkaliga face of the BJP until other Vokkaliga leaders joined the party through 'Operation Lotus'.

Ashoka is a six-time MLA representing the Padmanbhanagar (formerly Uttarahalli) constituency. He is contesting from both Padmanabhanagar and Kanakapura constituencies in the 2023 assembly elections.

Shivakumar has stated that he had competed and been successful against former PM H.D. Deve Gowda and H.D. Kumaraswamy. "I am not worried about the BJP fielding R. Ashoka against me," he added.

Ashoka commenting about the party's decision to field him in Kanakapura constituency against Shivakumar, said he is a loyal soldier of the party. "What is the work of soldiers, to take the order of our commander Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

"I was asked to stage a protest during the Emergency and go to jail. I did it promptly and landed in jail at the age of 16 or 17. Later, I was asked to go to Jammu and Kashmir, I went there to stage a protest. Now, I have been asked to contest elections from Kanakapura constituency and I will use my full force to win the elections," he asserted.

Both Shivakumar and Ashoka hail from the Vokkaliga community. The Kanakapura constituency is in Ramnagar district and has 2,20, 409 voters. Vokkaligas constitute about 1.10 lakh voters, SC-ST groups have 55,000 votes, Muslims comprise 20,000 voters, Lingayats have 12,000 votes.

Shivakumar is one of the richest politicians of the country and declared assets of Rs 840 crores in the 2018 assembly elections. The contest will definitely help the BJP to build its base in the constituency, say locals.