Chikkaballapur : Veerappa Moily Wins Amidst All Odds
Pics by Rons Bantwal
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, May 17: The victory of former chief minister M Veerappa Moily from the Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha constituency, has once again proved that the Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha constituency is the Congress bastion.
With this, all the caste calculations made with regards to the polls in the constituency has gone awry. This has clearly proved that the voters no longer give priority to caste politics.
Veerappa Moily is not only a political leader, but also a poet and a literatteur. The Congress bore the brunt of dissidence, as senior Congress leader R L Jalappa adopted an ambivalent stand. Sources said, a non-controversial person like Moily was pushed into battlegrounds, to quell the dissidence in the Congress.
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Not familiar
When Moily was fielded, people initially termed that he did not belong to the Chikkaballapur constituency. Infact, it was also said that Moily was also not familiar with the taluks too. And the Opposition parties made this as the main issue during the canvassing. When Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa toured the entire Chikkaballapur constituency, including Bagepalli, he banked on this issue and won accolades for his speeches against Moily.
After this, caste-wise calculations began in the constituency and the first and foremost remarks were, the Vokkaliga and the Balajiga leaders had been denied seats in the elections. It was also made known that the leaders belonging to these communities only will be voted to power by the people of Chikkaballapur constituency. Infact, a leader belonging to one of these communities from Bangalore, prevailed upon his community members to vote in favour of Moily.
It was amidst this backdrop that Moily was declared elected.
Veerappa Moily, who had lost in Mangalore earlier, has now been elected by the people of Chikkaballapur. None of the caste calculations has worked in favour of the candidates. That the voter has not bothered to give priority to caste, is evident by Veerappa Moily’s victory.
‘Befitting reply’
Veerappa Moily described his victory on Saturday as a ‘people’s victory.’
“Without the support of the caste, religion or any other kind of support the people here have still elected me and sent me to Delhi,” he said.
“The only way I can repay this kindness where they elected me without expecting anything in return is by doing doing development work for the constituency. This I swear on Mother Bhuvaneshawri,” he said emotionally.
I have given a befitting reply to my detractors who had said that I was not a proper candidate to represent the State at the Centre. I will work as the State’s voice, a hope for the poor and as the representative of the downtrodden. I will try to get all the benefits that the State is entitled to,” said Moily.
People belonging to all caste and creed have voted for me. I am grateful to them for this. The reason for my victory is the pro-people programme I had done while I was the chief minister, he said.
People have not forgotten me because of introducing the CET system and helping the middle class and the poor to get into engineering and medicine. The rural weightage which helped the rural people to get jobs has also not been forgotten. They have also not forgotten another step of mine where teachers who had been appointed based on age-limit, said Moily.
To fulfill promises
Moily said that he would fulfill all the promises he had made during the election campaign to the people of Chikkaballapur. In five years a permanent irrigation scheme would be implemented. Drinking water problem would be solved. By establishing major industries in the region, unemployment problem will be solved and by establishing a IIT at Sir MV’s birth place, I will fulfill my promises, he added.
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