From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Ramanagara, May 8: KPCC Chief D K Shivakumar, on the last day of public campaigning for the assembly polls on Monday, made an emotional pitch in Ramanagara and his own Kanakapura assembly constituencies, and urged the voters to give him a chance to become Chief Minister of Karnataka without actually mentioning the coveted post.

``I am a son of this district. I don’t want to make a big speech,’’ he said in his campaign speech in favour of the Congress candidate IqbalHussain in Ramanagara, and reminded the voters that they had voted for the architect and builder of Vidhana Soudha and the district’s first Chief Minister Kengal Hanumanathiah.

``Ramakrishna Hegde became Chief Minister while JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda became Chief Minister and later Prime Minister with Congress support. Gowda’s son H D Kumaraswamy became Chief Minister twice with BJP and Congress support. You have elected Kumaraswamy’s wife Anita Kumaraswamy. You have sent my brother to Lok Sabha. Now, I am asking a vote for an ordinary party worker IqbalHussain, who has always remained with you and worked for you. IqbalHussain is just a figurehead while I am the real candidate. Your vote for IqbalHussain is a vote in favour of me,’’ he said.

Shivakumar appealed to the voters to give him an opportunity to serve the people as their own son. ``I belong to the district and a son of the district. Give me an opportunity to serve as you have done for all the other big leaders from this district,’’ he said without actually mentioning his ambition to lead the State as its Chief Minister.

The KPCC Chief said the people of the district had urged him to contest from Ramanagara while the party high command had asked his brother D K Suresh, the Lok Sabha member from Bengaluru Rural, to contest. ``This constituency has become important because after Kumaraswamy and his wife Anita Kumaraswamy, their son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is contesting from JD(S),’’ he said pointing out that IqbalHussain had worked for the people throughout the day during the Covid pandemic without bothering about the caste or creed of the people.

``IqbalHussain is not a big leader but an ordinary worker of Congress party. He is available to you from early morning till late night and he always works for. It is D K Shivakumar who is the real candidate and IqbalHussain is just a person representing the party,’’ he said pointing out that during the Covid pandemic, IqbalHussain and his brother Suresh, wore protective gowns and buried the dead people while the MLA (Anita Kumaraswamy) visited and took a photo and went back.

``It is IqbalHussain and Suresh, who rushed to the help of the people, when the district bore the brunt of floods and during Covid pandemic. They visited the houses of people and distributed food kits and extended all help, including burying of the deceased persons,’’ he said warmly praising the party candidate.

Shivakumar said the JD(S) will not come to power and its prominent leaders Shivalingegowda, Sinivasa Gowda, MadhuBangarappa and others have joined Congress. The BJP will also not win and its prominent leaders Jagadish Shettar, LakshmanSavadi, Puttanna and others have joined Congress. Prominent leader P G R Sindhia, who had contested against him, has joined Congress. So have JD(S) leaders Manjunath and Narayana Gowda.

``All these leaders are convinced that Congress will return to power and they want to install Shivakumar in Vidhana Soudha,’’ he claimed.

In his own Kanakapura assembly constituency, Shivakumar said the BJP has fielded Revenue Minister R Ashok to defeat him because the latter belongs to the Vokkaliga community.

``But the voters of Ramanagara and Kanakapura are intelligent and they know who represents them and works for them,’’ he said pointing out that his ``trust in the people enabled him to tour all over the State to campaign for other Congress candidates. I visited once for filing the nomination papers and now on the last day of campaigning, I am visiting again to seek your support and blessings.’’