)
The BJP continued to harp on the Modi factor even in the elections to the Legislative Council from West Graduate’s constituency.
The party’s top leaders in Karnataka who descended on Dharwad and Hubli on Sunday, addressed two meetings and emphasised the development agenda pronounced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and appealed to the voters to support party candidate S V Sankanur to get the dream projects for Karnataka from the Centre.
Union Minister for Fertilizers and Chemicals H N Ananth Kumar said, the Centre under Modi’s leadership would not discriminate between states and Karnataka should take maximum advantage of it. He recalled the implementation of major projects in Karnataka during Atal Behari Vajpayee’s regime and said that more such projects would come to Karnataka with Modi’s support. To strengthen the voice of Karnataka, the BJP should further be strengthened in the state, he asserted.
“Endorse the Modi government to ensure development. The choice is between a proactive Modi and a lacklustre chief minister Siddaramaiah whose government is yet to take off,” Ananth Kumar said.
MP and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said, the country was undergoing a major reform under Narendra Modi and there is a need to support BJP at all levels. He charged ch ief minister Siddaramaiah with not releasing the state’s share of funds for railway projects.
Former chief minister and leader of the Opposition Jagadish Shettar and BJP state president Prahlad Joshi pointed out that the Siddaramaiah government had failed to fulfill its promises and accused it of backtracking on its decisions very often.
Fresh faces
The election to the Karnataka Legislative Council from the West Graduates’ constituency to be held on June 20 is set to be a closely-watched affair with all parties fielding new faces.
Congress’ announcement of Dharwad-based lawyer P H Neeralakeri as its candidate for the constituency came just a couple of days before the deadline for filing the nomination while the BJP has fielded S V Sankanur, a retired lecturer.
Janata Dal (S), which had had an understanding with Congress during the 2008 election, has now fielded Vasant Horatti, son of MLC and former minister Basavaraj Horatti. The West Graduates Constituency comprises of Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri and Uttara Kannada district. There are nearly 100,000 voters and of them 45,000 are in Dharwad district.
Since all parties have fielded new faces, the contest will be a keenly fought one. The BJP is banking heavily on the Modi wave which helped the party sweep the Lok Sabha polls.
Sankanur was a member of the Karnatak University senate and syndicate, and was also chief of the Karnataka Vijnana Parishat. He had been named BJP’s candidate for the West Teachers’ Constituency in 2012 only to be replaced later by Kuberappa.
Sankanur had entered the fray as an Independent which paved way for election of Basavaraj Horatti.
Vasant Horatti is a political novice. A member of the Rani Channamma University syndicate, he has been running an educational institution and depends heavily on the clout and contacts of his father Basavaraj Horatti. P H Neeralkeri, a follower of RDPR minister H K Patil, is a lawyer and a former member of Karnatak University senate.
As no candidate can be termed a ‘heavy weight’, it is anybody’s game now.
Whether the electorate goes by party affiliations or sticks to the traditional way of considering individual clout, will be known on June 24 when the votes are counted.
