Channapatna regrets choosing HDK over Yogeshwar: Sudhakar

Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar expressed confidence that Congress candidate CP Yogeshwar will win the upcoming Channapatna by-poll slated for Wednesday since people were regretting voting him out. The minister was referring to the fact that Yogeshwar a five-time Channapatna MLA was displaced by JD(S) bigwig HD Kumaraswamy in 2018. Moreover, the same result was repeated in 2023. However, Kumaraswamy had to vacate Channapatna after he contested from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat upon the BJP high command’s insistence and won convincingly.

He also went on to land the coveted Heavy Industries portfolio in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet. Yogeshwar expected to land the Channapatna ticket as the lone National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate but differences cropped up, leading to him jumping ship to the Congress and landing the party candidacy for the seat. JD(S) on the other hand fielded party state youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Sudhakar held that people valued Yogeshwar’s work rejuvenating lakes in Channapatna taluk and wished to bring him back. “It is certain that Yogeshwar will become the Channapatna MLA. For the past six-and-a-half years, Kumaraswamy neglected to contact the people in the constituency. That is the sentiment of the commoner,” he said.

“They feel their MLA, who had even been the Chief Minister (2018 to 2019), didn’t bring big schemes to the constituency. They expected development after casting their votes for Kumaraswamy and defeating Yogeshwar despite the latter’s developmental works. However, Kumaraswamy isn’t accessible. In contrast, Yogeshwar is a local and has a reputation for being a son of the soil. We are seeing a change and Yogeshwar will win by a large number of votes,” Sudhakar said.

Water wars continue; In fact, there is a tug of war over irrigation works in the parched Channapatna taluk and the larger Ramanagar district. Yogeshwar’s supporters style him “adhunika Bhagiratha” (modern day iteration of the king in Hindu mythology, who is said to have brought down the Ganges river to earth) and “niravari nayaka” (a leader who put irrigation works in place). JD(S) on the other hand is quick to point out that the Iggalur Reservoir was completed under party patriarch HD Devegowda. The regional outfit contends that Yogeshwar wouldn’t be able to fill lakes if not for the Iggalur Reservoir.

Sudhakar also decried Devegowda’s claim that the Congress State government was the most corrupt he had ever witnessed, pointing out that there were graft charges against the JD(S) patriarch as well. The minister added that it was imprudent of JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy to shed tears in Channapatna because he had lost the Mandya Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and neighbouring Ramanagar Assembly segment in 2023.