Southern States - Karnataka

H.K. Patil seems set to retain seat

By M. Madan Mohan

HUBLI June 21. The election to the Legislative Council from the Karnataka West Graduates' Constituency, the campaign for which has come to a close, looks likely to be more of a formality than a trial of strength for H.K. Patil, Minister for Water Resources.

Mr. Patil is all poised to chalk up his fourth successive win, a record in itself. The Janata Dal Parivar chose to opt out of the field because of the strong stance taken by Basavaraj Horatti, JD(U) MLC, in favour of Mr. Patil. Many prominent JD(S) leaders and workers have been openly working for the minister's success. As an observer put it, Mr. Patil is getting more support from outside his party than from within. Organisations of the primary school, secondary school, college, and university teachers have come out in favour of Mr. Patil.

The BJP, which is the lone political party facing him in a multi-cornered contest, has not been able to provide a strong challenge. Its candidate hardly has the stature to take on the redoubtable Mr. Patil. The independents in the field, one of whom is claiming the support of the Janata Dal Parivar, are hardly in a position to challenge Mr. Patil.

Mr. Patil has left his opponents way behind in the matter of enrolment of registered graduates as voters which is the real battle that decides the winner. Mr. Patil and his team launched a campaign in the four districts coming under the constituency — Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, and Uttara Kannada. As a result, a whopping 68,000 graduates have been enrolled as voters, practically double the 38,000 voters registered last time.

"We practically launched a house-to-house campaign, and wanted to give a fitting reply to the traducers of Mr. Patil at the State level within the party and the Government who have been needling Mr. Patil all through," one of Mr. Patil's campaign managers told The Hindu here on Friday.

Those who have been keenly watching the election scenario have noticed a remarkable feature in the campaign. The campaigning has assumed the overtones of a general election, with a plethora of meetings held all over. Congress leaders from other part of the State have come down here to take part in the campaign. What has contributed to the mood is the growing public stature of Mr. Patil in the eyes of the people of northern Karnataka and good public relations has won him many friends.

Besides, Mr. Patil's clean image and the manner in which he has been able to push through schemes that benefit the region have made him something of a cult figure politically going by the response he has been getting from different segments of society all over the constituency.

Even Mr. Oscar Fernandes, AICC General Secretary, who made a special trip to Hubli to take part in the campaigning, had no hesitation in admitting Mr. Patil's rising popularity in the eyes of the people.

Mr. Patil, who had a chat with presspersons on the last day of the campaigning here today, said the consolidation of all the work that he has put in for the past 18 years has started bringing results. This was one of the "easiest" elections that he had faced, a situation that every politician would like to be in.

Compared to Mr. Patil's campaign, the one launched by the BJP, which is the only political party facing him, appears lacklustre. Except for making general comments, the party has not been able to raise any issue to embarrass the Congress candidate. There are reports that many BJP workers are silently working for Mr. Patil on their own volition.

The BJP has been concentrating on Dharwad District, in general, and Hubli-Dharwad, in particular, and has hardly any campaign worth the name in the other three districts, which account for nearly half the electorate.

The campaigning by the independents, in general, and Hemachandra Yeledahalli, in particular, who says he has the backing of the Janata Dal Parivar, has not picked up momentum.

The need to produce voter identity card for polling might affect the turnout of voters on Sunday. Votes will be counted in Dharwad on Tuesday.

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