The gigantic statue of Gommateshwara (Bahubali) at Shravanabelagola draws the attention of every visitor to Hassan district which is also famous for the intricately carved temples of Chennakeshava at Belur and Hoysaleshwara at Halebeedu. Then there is Sakleshpur regarded as the poor’s man Ooty, a hill station surrounded by lush green rain forests and coffee plantations. Hassan’s political history too has held centre stage in the politics of Karnataka particularly after the emergence of former PM H.D. Deve Gowda on the political scene, rising from a taluk panchayat member at Holenarispura to hold the reins of the country as PM. Some of Gowda’s contemporaries such as late Congress leaders G.Puttaswamy Gowda and H.N. Srikantaiah had challenged him in the elections but met with little success. M.B. GIRISH analyses the emerging trends in Hassan where Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna is facing a formidable challenge from BJP candidate A. Manju, who till the other day was in the Congress
Family politics has sunk deep roots in Hassan where H.D. Deve Gowda’s son H.D. Revanna is Minister for Public Works, his wife Bhavani is a Zilla Panchayat member from Halekote seat and their son Prajwal is the JD(S) nominee for Hassan parliamentary seat. BJP leader and the nominee for Hassan Lok Sabha seat A. Manju’s son Manthar Gowda is also a Zilla Panchayat member while the grandson of late MP G. Puttaswamy Gowda- Shreyas Patel is a ZP member.The JDS MLA representing Sakleshpur-Alur seat H.K. Kumaraswamy’s wife Chanchala is also a ZP member.
During the 1960s, Hassan district was an arid region with very little water to help farmers. At that time, a diploma holder in civil engineering H.D. Deve Gowda started his political career winning Holenarsipura assembly seat in 1962 as an Independent. Deve Gowda raised his voice for farmers and his success in providing water to conduct agricultural operations made Gowda a hit among the farming community.
Owing to constant pressure from Deve Gowda, the successive state governments evinced interest in building a couple of reservoirs across river Hemavathy in Hassan and Kabini in Mysuru. A former Zilla Panchayat member of JD(S) from Moodalahippe in Holenarsipura of Hassan, Deve Gowda alias Papani says that owing to the sustained efforts of H.D. Deve Gowda, Holenarsipura turned green with farmers able to get water from Hemavathy reservoir and tanks.
The popularity of Deve Gowda was such that he contested against Congress nominee Kumaraswamy, a Kuruba leader in Holenarsipura and was voted to power considering his contributions though Kuruba voters are in good numbers in the constituency. He represented Holenarsipura till 1989 and remained undefeated.
Papani recalls that Deve Gowda used to go around on his bicycle and meet people which made him a household name in the constituency. “Still villagers remember those days when Gowda struck a personal rapport with them,” he says. Gowda’s hard work at the grassroot level and good rapport with the people laid a strong foundation for his family and party to deepen their roots in Hassan helping family members win elections.
After the defeat in the 1989 poll in Holenarsipura, Gowda made way for his son H.D. Revanna and chose to contest from Ramanagar seat. In 1996, Deve Gowda went on to become the Prime Minister and after stepping down as CM, contested from Hassan parliamentary seat winning the 1998, 2004, 2009, and 2014 polls.
The popularity of Deve Gowda has been a crucial factor for JD(S) nominees not only in Hassan but also in other districts of Old Mysuru region such as Mandya, Mysuru, Tumakuru and others. Deve Gowda did face challenges from his friend turned foe G. Puttaswamy Gowda of the Congress party. BJP leader and former MLA B.B. Shivappa and Congress leader and former minister H.N. Srikantaiah who were his contemporaries but none of these leaders could manage to hold sway over the voters for long. An associate of Deve Gowda and former Zilla Panchayat president Satyanarayana says Gowda’s uncompromising stance on various issues made people hold him in high esteem. Some of his long time associates such as former Rajya Sabha member Javare Gowda, former MLA C.S. Putte Gowda and former MLA H.M. Vishwanath quit the JD(S) to join the Congress party in Hassan but the strength of JDS remained unaffected.
The delimitation of Assembly seats in 2008 favoured the JD(S) in Hassan. Sources say Gandsi represented by Congress MLA B. Shivaram was deliberately merged with Arasikere and Mr Shivaram lost the seat. In Holenarsipura, Halli Mysuru hobli, dominated by Lingayats and Kurubas is part of Arakalagudu seat. Halli Mysuru was made part of Arakalagudu because JD(S) leaders feared that the Lingayat and Kurubas would not back JD(S) in the Holenarsipur poll.
To make matter worse for Congress, Mr Shivaram, a four-time MLA, says the party has erred in selection of candidates and this has contributed to the Congress debacle in polls. Many a time, candidates who had not worked at the ground level and had no links with party workers have secured party tickets. The last time a Congress nominee won the Hassan Lok Sabha seat was in 1999 when G. Puttaswamy Gowda trounced JD(S) nominee H.D. Deve Gowda and since then it has been with JD(S) all the way. “Lack of leadership has also affected the party,” says Mr Shivaram. The worst result for the Congress was in the 2018 Assembly poll when all its seven candidates were defeated in Hassan with Shivaram blaming this on former Congress minister A. Manju who recently shifted to the BJP.
In the struggle for power between JD(S) and Congress in Hassan, BJP candidates have made their presence felt by winning four seats in the 1999 assembly elections when its candidates A. Manju won Arakalgudu seat, B.B. Shivappa, Sakleshpur, Hanume Gowda the Hassan seat and Basavaraju, the Arasikere seat. When the BJP was about to consolidate its hold over Hassan politics, all its sitting MLAs joined the Congress party leaving party workers searching for a new leader. The BJP recently won the Hassan seat when its candidate Preetham Gowda won against four-time MLA H.S. Prakash of JD(S).
In the forthcoming poll, the BJP hopes to defeat the JD(S) in its strong hold and has fielded A. Manju who migrated from the Congress to fight against JD(S) nominee Prajwal. The calculation of the BJP camp is that it has two MLAs- Preetham Gowda (Hassan) and Belli Prakash (Kadur) out of eight MLAs in the district. The BJP nominees came second in two assembly seats while it has a good presence in Arakalgudu and Arasikere too. The BJP is also the main opposition party in Hassan City Municipal Council (CMC) where the JD(S) is in power.
Caste composition
Vokkaliga voters dominate Hassan Lok Sabha seat followed by SC/STs, Lingayats, Kurubas and other smaller communities. Though, there is a perception that Vokkaliga voters en masse back JD(S), sources say the trend is changing fast and youth belonging to Vokkaliga community no longer support the party. Veerashaiva- Lingayats, also present in good numbers, may not support the JD(S) unlike in previous years where the community used to back the party especially in Sakleshpur and Belur assembly seats. To make the contest tough for JD(S), Kurubas and Muslims though in small numbers, have started tilting towards other parties.
An indication that the JD(S) is losing its support base in Hassan became evident in 2014 when JD(S) nominee H.D. Deve Gowda’s victory margin fell drastically against Congress nominee A. Manju. Gowda’s victory margin in 2009 was 2.91 lakh votes and it came down to a mere lakh votes against Manju. The BJP’s C.H. Vijayashankar, a last minute choice of the party from neighbouring Mysuru district, garnered about a lakh votes. The forthcoming poll is a straight fight between the JD(S) and BJP in Hassan and JD(S) nominee Prajwal is banking of the popularity of Deve Gowda, six MLAs of the constituency and a strong party workers base to lead the party to success. However, there are fears that Congress workers might not heed the call of state leaders to support JD(S) and might refrain from campaigning for Prajwal who some say, is too young to become an MP.
A Congress party worker says “We have fought JD(S) bitterly in the assembly polls in the past and now how can we support our rival party? We will be happy to press the NOTA button in EVMs instead of voting for JD(S).”
