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Caste News:Caste crucial in byelection


Bheemasena Chalageri, Koppal, Sep 23, DHNS:
Caste appears to be the deciding factor in the Koppal byelection scheduled for September 26. A study of the poll results since 1985 reveals that voters have preferred candidates to the parties they represented.
At the outset, the constituency presents a triangular contest among all the three major political parties. No political party has won for the second time consecutively from Koppal. Nevertheless, the BJP contestant Sanganna Karadi has won three times so far, albeit on different party platforms. 

His maiden victory was as an independent candidate. Later he hopped on to Janata Dal (United) in 1999. He was elected on a JD(S) ticket in 2008, but migrated to BJP, thanks to ‘Operation Lotus.’ Basavaraj Hitnal was elected in 2004 as a Congress candidate.

The calculation
Leaders of all political parties are unanimous on the fact that caste holds the sway on electoral fortune in Koppal. Hence all the parties are busy wooing voters, solely on caste lines. Koppal has 1,88,196 voters of whom 92,729 are women. Lingayats are estimated to constitute about 31 per cent of the total electorate, followed by Kuruba community at 13 per cent. Muslims and Madigas comprise eight per cent each, Nayaks, six per cent, and Maratha and Kabbera communities account for three per cent each. Of the Lingayat voters, Panchamasalis (a sub-caste) have been estimated to constitute seven per cent and the rest of the sub-castes - Madivala, Hadapada, Saadara, Shivashimpigera, Reddy Lingayat, Jangama etc - account for 4.5 per cent each. 

Sanganna is a Panchamasali while JD(S) candidate Pradeepgouda Malipatil is a Reddy Lingayat. Thus, Lingayat votes are crucial for the victory of these two candidates. The differences among the leaders, the dissent among sub-castes and a host of corruption charges against a few BJP leaders become determining factors.

Congress candidate Hitnal belongs to Kuruba community, the second largest in terms of votes. The support of other backward communities and Muslims - traditional vote bank of Congress - is critical in determining his win in the polls.

Cong vocal at hustings
The ruling BJP has deployed its ministers and legislators to the battlefield while the Congress has been more vocal at the hustings launching tirades against the ruling party. JD(S) State president H D Kumaraswamy too has not left any stone unturned to win over voters.

Koppal Assembly constituency was formed in 1952 and it was Congress bastion till 1983. “Intelligent voters” exercised their franchise “prudently” in the later years and elections since 1985 have sprang surprise results. 

The outcome of counting on September 29 may not deviate from the precedents.

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