Southern States - Karnataka

Promises galore for Narasimharaja bypoll

By R. Krishna Kumar

Mysore May 16. The Elections tend to be a season of promises, and the byelection to the Assembly from Narasimharaja constituency is no different.

Promises galore is what the Congress, the JD(S), and the BJP have in store. If the promises are to be taken seriously, Narasimharaja constituency, which is one of the most backward areas of Mysore, will be turned into a model segment in five years.

Perhaps there is some virtue in holding elections frequently. The latest promise by the Congress is converting Mahadevapura Road into a double-lane highway at a cost of Rs. 65 lakh. If that is not impressive, there are some more.

A senior Congressman has announced that 12 slums in N.R. Mohalla will be taken up for development. But this will not surprise the voters as the promises made by the party in the manifesto for the Mysore City Corporation (MCC) election are still fresh in their memory. As they have realised by now, promises are made to be broken. Perhaps the residents of Jayachamarajendra Nagar would vouch for it. Though promises were made to develop the locality in the past, people continue to live without basic amenities. They have decided to boycott the byelection. They have also threatened to prevent the politicians from entering the locality seeking votes. With the polling date nearing, candidates from major political parties are getting their final act together. They are doing their best to win the support of the voters. Making a departure from the "established convention" of rushing to seek the "blessings" of gurus and swamijis, politicians cutting across party lines are aware that the Muslim community holds the key to success in the byelection.

It is not surprising that all candidates have "suddenly discovered" the existence of Tipu Sultan's dargha in Srirangapatna, and some of them visited it soon after filing nomination papers. A witness to the opportunistic attitude displayed by the candidates observed that the last time these people realised the existence of Tipu's tomb was during the previous elections.

Normally politicians, irrespective of their secular credentials, meet the swamijis in Mysore and hold special pujas, and visit the Chamundi Hills and Nanjangud. But these activities will not suffice for the byelection.

For, it is Muslims who constitute a majority in Narasimharaja constituency, and wooing them is crucial for any candidate.

According to sources, there are 1.97 lakh voters in the constituenvy, of whom 60,000 are Muslims. SCs and STs come a distant second with 25,000 votes, while Vokkaligas stand third with 24,000 votes. There are 16,000 voters from the Kuruba community, while the rest belong to other castes and communities.

Hence it is not surprising that a visit to Srirangapatna was high on the agenda of the candidates.

The JD(S) candidate, Marutirao Pawar, was the first to visit the dargha. Similarly, singing the virtues of B.R. Ambedkar is another sideshow to garner dalit votes.

As campaigning gains momentum, voters will be put on a new high blinding the harsh reality. But this will disappear with the end of the election process.

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