Channapatna, October 25: In Channapatna, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the grandson of the former Prime Minister, is contesting as a rival against Congress candidate C.P. Yogeshwar. Just like the high-voltage battle in the 2019 Mandya Lok Sabha elections where he contested against Sumalatha Ambareesh, the Channapatna by-election has also turned into a high-stakes contest, with senior BJP leaders backing Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
Following the denial of a ticket for the Channapatna by-election, former minister C.P. Yogeshwar resigned from the BJP and entered the fray as a Congress candidate. On the other hand, leaders of the alliance have stepped forward with a strong determination to ensure the victory of Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who has faced defeat in the last two elections.
Speaking about the Channapatna election, opposition leader R. Ashoka said, “With the Channapatna by-election approaching tomorrow, we will organize a taluk-level meeting. Leaders and workers alike will put in their full effort to ensure Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s victory. Nikhil has the blessings of both Modi and Deve Gowda. We are confident of winning 100%. JD(S) has become strong, and BJP has its own vote bank. There is also favorable support for the NDA among the voters.”
He continued, “We held a workers’ meeting to select Nikhil, but some workers have rebelled. We could have gathered more opinions from the workers. A team from Congress is also expected to support us. On the issue of corruption, Valmiki, Muda, and SC/ST funds have been misused. Congress MLA Satish Sail has been punished in the mining scandal. Congress has become a party full of scams and looters. Even though they marched on foot against the mining scandal, their own MLA from a neighboring constituency is now in jail for looting in the same case. Voters will not support such a party of looters. Nikhil also has a sympathy wave. Ashwath Narayan fought hard to secure a ticket for Yogi.
C.P. was a prominent leader in the BJP, but in the Congress, he has been reduced to a third-tier leader. After the election, it’s uncertain how much further down the ranks he might go. The Congress is using Yogeshwar as a scapegoat. Aside from the grants provided by the BJP government, the Congress hasn’t contributed a single penny. Bengaluru is suffering from flooding and waterlogging due to the rains, and crops have been damaged in North Karnataka,” he said, criticizing the Congress.
Former Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan spoke, stating, “Nikhil is the NDA candidate, the united candidate of the BJP and JD(S). The people of Channapatna are wise. This is a constituency represented by Deve Gowda since the days of Kengal. Although Channapatna had limited blessings and no party MLAs, we have still worked hard for the district’s development. We implemented projects like the silk weaving market, Sattegala project, medical college, Jal Jeevan Mission, and Netkal project. The NDA focuses on the welfare of the people. You can’t expect anything from Congress, as it is anti-farmer. What has Congress given to the district? They have abandoned the district. It’s a party without a candidate, and the people of Channapatna do not trust Congress. Yogeshwar’s departure is a setback, but we are prepared to rebuild the party. We had even offered him a BJP ticket, but he chose to prioritize his personal gains over the development of the constituency,” he criticized.
Former Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda commented, “This is a challenging election. A person claiming to be loyal to one party is now jumping for the seventh time. This is politics driven by self-interest, and those who switch parties should be ignored. Siddaramaiah and D.K. Shivakumar have sidelined Yogeshwar. Even if I tried to act as Bhagiratha for Yogeshwar, I can’t take credit for his actions. He was once the Forest Minister. In the old Mysuru region, BJP is not very strong, but we have decided to take up good initiatives.
