As election fever mounts, the Kanakapura Assembly seat, locals say, is a one-sided battle, which Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar is expected to win against senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Karnataka minister R Ashoka. Even though the former does not campaign extensively in the entire constituency.
News18 visited the constituency to understand how the high-profile fight is taking place.
local speak
About 70 km from Bangalore is Kanakapura, which is believed to be the fort of Shivakumar, a seven-time MLA.
“This time, like every other, DK Shivakumar Sahebru will win. He has done a lot for us, he has built houses and roads for us. We do not know who R Ashoka is. He has come from somewhere else,” says Prashant, who has been driving an autorickshaw in Kanakapura for the past decade.
He said, ‘Not only today, for the next 15 years only DK Shivakumar will win, no matter who contests against him. He is our rock and this is his place,” says Appu, a fruit seller, who found it interesting that Ashok was chosen to fight against his favourite, DKS.
He says that the people of Kanakapura have seen a lot of development and construction of facilities since Shivakumar was elected from the assembly seat.
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Another resident Prashant Gowda says, “Even if the prime minister comes here or Modi contests from here, he will not win against DK Shivakumar.”
Lokesh, a sugarcane grower and seller, said, “This is the fort of the Congress, no one can take it away from them.”
Planned move by BJP?
Many in the BJP camp believe that the decision to pit Ashok against Shivakumar is a well-planned move that could reduce the Congress leader’s margin, if not win against him. Ashok has taken up the task given by the party high command to contest from two seats- Padmanabhanagar and Kanakapura.
Acknowledging that it is a big fight but a tough one, he told News18: “Those who want Modi will vote for the BJP and me.”
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The BJP decided to field Ashok, who has also served as deputy CM in the 2012 BS Yediyurappa government, to strengthen its base in the seat, which also falls in the old Mysore region, which the party had contested. Your eyes are fixed.
BJP and right-wing activists staged a protest in Kanakapura in 2020 to oppose the construction of a Jesus statue in the area. This was seen as a major move for the BJP to gain ground in an area where they were not present.
vote share increased
Even as Shivakumar is fighting a disproportionate assets case, and has spent time in jail for money laundering, locals say they only care about the work he has done for them, Not his court cases.
Shivakumar is confident: “I am not a candidate from Kanakapura. There is a DK Shivakumar in every house here and they will vote for me and make me win.
Over the years, Shivakumar has not only won the hearts of his constituents, but his vote share has also been increasing since 2008. In the last election, his rival JDS’s Narayana Gowda secured 47,643 votes, while the Congress leader was ahead with 1,27,552 votes. vote.
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His team planning his tour across the state says the leader will campaign in the constituency for a day and people say that is enough.
Appu expresses people’s feelings towards DKS. “Even if Shivakumar comes and raises his hand on us, we all will vote for him wholeheartedly.”
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