The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not got much to worry about in Krishnaraja constituency in this district, which has large Dalit presence. The recent Supreme Court judgement on the Act, protecting them, has not turned many Dalit voters against the party.
The BJP had not done well in the previous polls. But a comparision should not be made because the political situation was completely different then.
Two major factions in the party including the one led by powerful Lingayat leader and former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa had said good bye to the BJP and put up their own candidates.
Yeddy had formed a new party after separation, Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), which had secured ten per cent of valid votes polled. Now this party has been merged with the BJP and he is fighting elections unitedly with it.
His party had polled 16,000 votes. Even if half of them go in favour of the BJP this time, which is highly likely, the party candidate can reach the new Assembly.
The Congress had won this seat had got only 5,600 votes more than his nearest rival. With support from Yeddyurappa and the other group, which had also separated before the previous polls and has now rejoined the BJP, the party is well placed.
Though the list is yet to be made public, none other than Ramadassa is likely to be fielded from this constituency which has nearly 2.5 lakh voters. Ramadassa is well known in the area as he was a minister in the BJP government in 2008.
“He remained a minister till 2013 and during that period he had launched a number of welfare schemes in the area. Many people have not forgotten them”, claimed Dilip, a close confidante.
The other favourable factor is that Brahmin voters constitute 60 per cent of the total and most of them may vote in support of the BJP. The second position is held by Dalits. Most of them, too, are unlikely to support the Congress.
Another factor which may go against the Congress is that Srinivas Prasad who belongs to the Dalit community and who was with the Congress has shifted to the BJP. Before switching over to the Congress he was with the JDS which has many pockets of influence.
The party, however, does not enjoy the same kind of support in other two urban constituencies in Mysuru district — Chamraja and Narsimharaja.
