All eyes on Varuna; Somanna woos Lingayats while Siddu gets stars to back him

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Mysuru: A tough fight is on in Varuna Assembly Constituency, with Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah facing a do-or-die battle against BJP candidate and Minister V. Somanna. A victory is a must for Siddaramaiah as it would ensure he is in the race for the CM post.

The Congress leader has already expressed his wish to become CM for a second time. With Lingayats being the deciding factor among the 2 lakh plus voters in the constituency, Siddaramaiah is worried whether the Congress would be able to garner the support of the community since BJP candidate Somanna is a Lingayat.

Another factor that has been haunting Siddaramaiah is whether forces in the Congress are working to prevent him from becoming CM again. Before filing the nomination, Siddaramaiah declared that he would campaign only for two days because of the confidence that the people of Varuna would not disappoint him.

But after heavyweights of the BJP like former CM B.S.Yediyurappa, CM Bommai, and BJP VicePresident B.Y.Vijeyendra campaigned for two to three days in Varuna, it is no longer a one-sided battle. The roadshow by PM Modi and a public meeting by Union Home Minister Amit Shah besides a mammoth rally by Modi near Nanjangud have reportedly upped the hopes of BJP supporters.

With survey reports indicating a 50:50 chance for Siddaramaiah, the Congress leader is frequently visiting the constituency and also requested for campaigns by filmstars like Dr Shivarajkumar, Sadhu Kokila, Duniya Vijay and actorcum-politician Ramya aka Divyaspandana. Never in the past has Siddaramaiah sought campaigns by film stars.