Key Contests : BS Patil vs Prahalad Joshi

MANDATE 2004/ LS CONSTITUENCY WATCH - Karnataka

The self-important air of the Dharwad Gymkhana Club hits you in the face with a smack the moment you walk into it.

The club proudly proclaims that it was built in 1886. Vaulting roofs with tiles that were fired in 1865 (the date is stamped on the inner side of the tiles), stone flagstones and a hat stand transport you into a world of teapoys, chhota hazris and the rule of the meritocracy.

The talk in the Dharwad Gymkhana is all about whether BS Patil will win the Dharwad North constituency and make it to the Lok Sabha to sit beside his brother, RS Patil, who is the Congress candidate for the Bagalkote Lok Sabha seat.

BS Patil is a member of the Gymkhana. He was, till January 31, 2004, Chief Secretary of Karnataka. He retired and was made Special Representative of the Karnataka government in Delhi with the rank of a Cabinet minister.

Because the SM Krishna government appeared to have so much faith in him, the chief minister decided to dump the previous Congress candidate from Dharwad North, VA Mattihetti, who was a state general secretary of the party and field Patil instead. So he quit his new job in February and jumped into active politics.

Patil was former Karnataka Chief MInister JH Patel's principal secretary. Krishna superseded at least one IAS officer to promote him as Chief Secretary.

He is a Lingayat "" the second most influential caste in Karnataka, especially North Karnataka "" and is reported to be the man responsible for the movement of several Lingayat MLAs to the Congress after the collapse of the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Janata Dal. Krishna owes him a lot.

Patil's list of assets is impressive. He, his wife and children own assets worth Rs 5.24 crore. This does not include agricultural land that is held as a Hindu Undivided Family.

This declaration makes him one of the richest contestants in the election from Karnataka, next only to Srikanta Datta Wodeyar, known to the unwashed masses as the Mysore Rajah.

By contrast, his opponent, Prahalad Joshi, a youngster, is a very ordinary man.

He is the president of the Hubli Dharwad district committee of the BJP and was one of the most important players in the whole Idgah episode when the BJP was not allowed to unfurl the national flag on August 15 in the Idgah Maidan in 1992 because the district administration felt this may cause communal tension.

The Idgah Maidan was Waqf property and 1992 was the year when the mosque was demolished. Joshi was one of the people, along with now party chief Anant Kumar, defied the administration and unfurled the flag every year on January 26 and August 15, until the minorities withdrew their objections.

That episode gave an unprecedented boost to the BJP in this region. Joshi dresses simply. Patil used to go out campaigning in a suit and tie, and has, for the moment, given up his morning game of golf as a concession to the elections. He started wearing Khadi last week.

Huge forces are mobilised behind both candidates. If Patil has old retainers and the backing of his family which is influential, Joshi has the silent strength of the cadres of RSS working for him.

In 1999, the Dharwad North constituency gave 64.85 per cent of the votes to the Congress, gave 37.98 per cent of the vote to BJP and 30.24 per cent of the vote to the JD U.

Today JD(U) and BJP are together. So who will win the election on April 16 from this poverty and drought-hit region of Karnataka is anyone's guess.