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Click here to go to the main page of Politics. Considered as the election that would change the future course of State politics, the Chamundeshwari by - election has at last come to an end and the results are expected on Dec.7, tomorrow. This poll war primarily waged between former Deputy Chief Minister Siddharamaiah and the former Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda had attracted the attention of the country and the political analysts as never before for a by - election. Siddharamaiah, who brought all the minorities and dalit organisations together under AHINDA (minorities, backward community, Dalit Federations) had thus shown his strength as an able organiser and a politician in his own right. This had irked Deve Gowda, who decided to oust the former from the party. The subsequent political developments ultimately resulted in calling for a by - poll in Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency. 
Caste equations:
Siddharamaiah, who was suspended from JD (S), found himself in a fix. Fortunately, Congress took Siddharamaiah to its fold. Probably remembering the statements made by the former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa that “if he joins Congress he would be swallowed by large sharks in the Congress sea”, Siddharamaiah might have studied the permutation and combination of caste equations before plunging into Congress. No wonder that only after meeting Sonia Gandhi several times at Delhi and discussing with her, Siddharamaiah joined Congress in her presence, thus ensuring his seniority and higher status in the Karnataka Congress. Siddharamaiah apparently followed the examples of S. Bangarappa and P. A. Sangma, who had resigned and were re-elected by virtue of their charisma. Similarly, here Siddharamaiah too had resigned from the Party and also from the membership of the legislature to contest this by-poll. Having faced six elections and winning in the four, Siddharamaiah had thought that the seventh one would be a cake - walk. However, Siddharamaiah in a sort of bravado went on saying that JD (S) and BJP could not find a suitable candidate in spite of a long and intense search. Naturally, JD (S) and BJP took this as a challenge. Dharma Yuddha:
Accepting the challenge of Siddharamaiah, Deve Gowda entered the war arena and declared this election to be a Dharma Yuddha. JD (S) created a new wave in the villages of the constituency when Chief Minister set a new election strategy by staying in villages and by going to voters' doorsteps. The idea of village-stays by Chief Minister Kumaraswamy was a blessing in disguise in this by - poll for JD (S). Deve Gowda realized that 75,000 Lingayat voters in the constituency would be the deciding factor. So, he held discussions with the senior most Lingayat politician of the State M. Rajashekharamurthy, Rajya Sabha member and decided to field the President of Veerashaiva Association of the Taluk and a first class contractor Shivabasappa. Siddharamaiah thought Shivabasappa was no match for him in any way as he is old and had never contested any elections. But, Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy were bent upon defeating Siddharamaiah no matter how weak the JD (S) candidate is. Therefore, immediately after the election formalities were over, both father and son camped in Mysore and involved themselves totally in the hectic election campaign, working day and night. Brisk campaigning:
Alarmed by the brisk campaigning of these two, many stalwarts from Congress arrived in hoards here in city. Union Minister of State for Information and film actor Ambarish, dance king Shashi Kumar, actor Jaggesh, actor turned - MLC Umashri added colour to the campaign. Along with them, former Minister D. K. Shiva Kumar added strength and involved himself in brisk campaigning. The poll campaign in the constituency continued briskly non - stop from Nov.21 to December 2 as if it was a great political war. The tactics and strategies of luring the voters by both JD (S) and Congress were however made public on Dec.2 night. Raids by Police and rival party workers revealed the venal and corrupt side of campaigning by both the parties. There was apprehension among the voters that the Dec.4 poll might witness rioting and arson. Thank God, nothing like that happened. Paramilitary forces with the support of local Police strived hard for a peaceful polling and succeeded. There was a time on Dec.2 when the senior Congress leaders camping in Mysore had even thought of considering getting the election cancelled. Well, better sense prevailed. Tight security:
Tight security was clamped in the entire constituency. Due to this, the initial fear in the minds of voters was removed leading to a peaceful polling. Nearly 66 per cent polling has taken place and the political future of 14 candidates, including that of Siddharamaiah and Shivabasappa, is sealed in the Electronic Voting Machines. This fate would be made known on Dec.7, and there are possibilities of the results being declared by 11 am. In case Siddharamaiah wins, as feared by Deve Gowda, President's rule under Article 356 may be imposed and Congress Government, with Siddharamaiah as the Chief Minister, may be installed after hijacking required number of JD (S) MLAs, names of whom are said to be ready for a changeover. This is a possibility that cannot be ruled out. It is a matter of interest to speculate what would happen if Siddharamaiah loses and Shivabasappa wins. According to political speculators, JD (S) supremo will ensure that his son Kumaraswamy will continue as the Chief Minister by creating such political situations that would prevent B.S. Yediyurappa from taking over as the Chief Minister as per the agreement of this coalition government, which sets down 20 months tenure each for JD (S) and BJP. Courtesy: Star of Mysore Click here if you would like to Contribute or send a feedback.
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