Karnataka assembly elections have entered their final phase. The southern state has six regions and elections in each region are also unique. As part of our special series, News18 reporters travel to each of the six constituencies to get a pulse of the electorate and give a 360-degree view of which way the political wind is blowing.
Like the towering ramparts of the Gulbarga Fort, the issues relating to the Kalyana Karnataka region (formerly Hyderabad-Karnataka) are rusty and deep-rooted.
The first word that comes to mind on a closer look at this 14th century fort is neglect. Like the ruins, the people of this region also feel left out despite tall promises made by political parties over the decades. Lack of development and regional imbalance remain the main issues here.
The region is known as India’s tur dal belt with a GI tag, and consists of seven districts – Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Bidar, Koppal, Raichur, Vijayanagar and Ballari. Although the region enjoys special status through Article 371J and has a separate Kalyana-Karnataka Regional Development Board, lack of political will has failed to eliminate the region’s backwardness.
News18 visited Gulbarga University to speak to a group of PhD scholars to understand the issue from the perspective of young voters.
“We do not have permanent faculty. “Research students like us double up as teachers,” said Varsha, a student. “It is against my will,” said Anand, who is pursuing PhD in journalism.
Most of the young voters News18 spoke to believe that lack of jobs and skill development has put them on the backburner.
“It has become almost impossible to get a government job without paying bribe. The whole system needs to change,” said Mahadev, who aspires to become a college lecturer.
Shifting the conversation from the university campus to the local streets, voters News18 spoke to highlighted that irrespective of which government comes to power, there is an urgent need to have a comprehensive industrial policy so that industries can be developed on a large scale. can be done, so that local produce like pulses can be supported. Major irrigation projects, educational centers and commercial infrastructure. The locals slammed the Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board for using the money and leaving them high and dry.
Congress bastion and Kharge’s factor
Traditionally this area has been a stronghold of the Congress. In the last two elections, the party has won more than 50 percent of the total 40 seats. The Congress believes that elevating Mallikarjun Kharge – arguably the tallest Dalit leader in the region – as AICC president will yield political mileage.
“Today, whatever development you see in Kalaburagi, be it the ESI hospital or premier educational institutions, is because of Kharge. They got us Article 371J special status,” said a voter, who wished to remain anonymous.
The party also hopes to capitalize on the numerically significant Lingayats and SC-Left communities by promising more representation within the ranks. Unlike the rest of the state, where Lingayats are considered a BJP stronghold, observers believe the same logic may not apply in the Kalyan-Karnataka region as Lingayats are considered swing or floating voters here.
This time, Congress’ poll promises for the region include a grant of Rs 1 crore to each gram panchayat, filling up of 50,000 job vacancies and premier institutes like IITs and IIMs.
BJP vows to regain lost ground
with the prime minister Narendra Modi There is enthusiasm among the party’s ‘karyakartas’ who are leading the party’s biggest election campaign in Kalaburagi, confident of making inroads into Kharge’s bastion. The BJP’s optimism has been boosted by their recent success in the mayoral elections of Kalaburagi Municipality. However, it is important to note that the party still faces significant challenges in this endeavour.
In the 2018 elections, the BJP won 15 seats, a marked improvement from their paltry tally of six seats in 2013. The party’s most successful performance in the region was in 2008 when it won 19 seats. Although the BJP’s electoral performance has been inconsistent, they dealt a significant blow to the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when their candidate Umesh Jadhav defeated Mallikarjun Kharge by an impressive margin of around 96,000 votes.
It marked a significant electoral defeat for the 80-year-old veteran leader, who had enjoyed a successful political career for several decades.
Apart from the “double-engine government” model, the BJP is relying on a variety of tactics to boost its electoral prospects. These include increasing the special grant provided by KKRDB from Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore, setting up mega textile parks, construction of a new airport at Koppal, development of industrial clusters and construction of tourism corridors. ,
In addition, the party is taking advantage of the recently restructured internal reservation system for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and an increase in Lingayat reservation from the existing 5 percent to 7 percent. These measures are aimed at improving the BJP’s overall electoral performance by appealing to caste-based political calculations.
Battle for Chittapur – Will ‘Suryoday’ continue?
Chittapur, touted as a battle of prestige for Kharges, is going to see a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress. Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge is eyeing a hat-trick with Vikas as his main pitch.
“Even the BJP would agree that as an MLA, I have developed the area well – roads, minor and major irrigation projects, jobs, connectivity and educational clusters. Every scheme launched by the government has been delivered to the people in a transparent manner. Manikant Rathod as their candidate.
The BJP surprised everyone by choosing Rathod, a political novice with around 40 criminal cases. This is seen as a big gamble, but with Rathore, the party is trying to strike a balance between three factors – youth, Hindutva and caste equation, as Rathore belongs to the dominant Lambani (Banjara) community.
But will BJP be able to win Kharge’s stronghold? Observers believe that Priyank Kharge has an advantage as the BJP’s decision to cancel the Prime Minister’s rally in Chittapur has sent out a negative message that the party may not want to support a candidate with a criminal background.
So which way will Kalyan-Karnataka go? Can Kharge hold on to his northern Karnataka bastion, or will it be breached by the BJP? Now everyone’s eyes are on May 13.
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