Politically influential families slug it out in B'luru Rural

NT Correspondent

Ramanagara (Karnataka): Political temperatures are running high in the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment, which is witness to a bitter and close contest between members of two influential Vokkaligacaste families, who enjoy immense clout here and in the entire old Mysuru region.

The erstwhile Kanakpura constituency, Bangalore Rural was created in 2008 after delimitation and is spread over the districts of Ramanagara, Bengaluru Urban and Tumakuru in south Karnataka.

It has a mix of the rural and urban, with IT parks and industrial townships as well as farm fields.

The Vokkaliga caste dominated constituency is witnessing a fierce fight between Congress MP D K Suresh, who is the brother of Deputy Chief Minister and party's state President D K Shivakumar, and eminent cardiologist Dr C N Manjunath, the son-inlaw of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

Interestingly, Manjunath is brother-in-law of state JD(S) chief H D Kumaraswamy but is contesting on a BJP ticket, as per the arrangement between the alliance partners.

Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy represent Kanakapura and Channapatna Assembly segments respectively, both of which are part of Bangalore Rural.

This high profile constituency has thus emerged as the most prestigious segment in the state in the upcoming polls. Bangalore Rural is the only constituency in Karnataka where the Congress won in the 2019 general elections.

Repeating a win in 2024 on home turf is crucial for Shivakumar to boost his chief ministerial prospects, political analysts say.

Both Shivakumar and the Gowda family are bitter political opponents and have fought each other for political dominance in the region. Gowda had won the Kanakapura Lok Sabha seat, defeating Shivakumar in the 2002 bypolls, but lost in 2004.

His son Kumaraswamy had won the seat in 1996, but lost in 1998 and 1999. He later won the segment after it became Bangalore Rural in 2009. Suresh has been representing Bangalore Rural since 2013.

In the 2013 by-poll he had defeated Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha. The upcoming contest is also seen as a battle between "a local and an outsider", as Manjunath and the Gowda family originally hail from Hassan district, as also a fight between two contrasting personalities.

Manjunath, known for his mild manners and humility, headed the state-owned Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research for 17 years before retiring in January this year.

He is a political greenhorn, being seen as an "underdog" challenging the established political might of the D K brothers.

Suresh, a three time Lok Sabha MP, is considered to be the political backbone and key strategist of his brother Shivakumar, with his strong grassroots level network in the region.

According to local Congress leaders, the party is confident about his win, with the minority community votes consolidating in its favour along with a major chunk of Dalit and OBC votes.

"The fight will now be as to who will get the larger share of Vokkaliga votes," a leader said.