Siddu and Yeddy lock horns in trailer to 2018 assembly polls

Bengaluru, Apr 3: As the date for the bypoll to the Nanjangud and Gundlupet assembly segments draws near, the pitch of the campaign has attained furious levels. The bypolls are being seen as a precursor to the assembly elections, due in little over a year, with the fortunes of chief minister Siddaramaiah and BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa hinging on the outcome.

Siddaramaiah has deputed a veritable posse of ministers - 21 of them - to campaign in both the constituencies. In fact, two heavyweights in the party - energy minister DK Shivakumar and public works minister HC Mahadevappa have respectively been given charge of Gundlupet and Nanjangud, a clear indication of the importance the Congress attaches to the bypolls. The two ministers have their task cut out - ensure the two constituencies that are considered Congress citadels are not breached by the BJP.

The Ahinda (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and dalits) factor is likely to play a huge role in both constituencies, where Lingayats - the community Yeddyurappa belongs to - are the majority. "Currently, the voters are either pro-Siddaramaiah or anti-Siddaramaiah. These bypolls are the semi-finals for the CM before he heads into the finals, the 2018 assembly elections," sources in the Congress said.

For Siddaramaiah, a loss in Nangangud, a reserved constituency for SCs, could be an indication of the party losing favour with the dalits. Meanwhile, defeat in Gundlupet could prove costlier since the party hoped to ride on the sympathy wave by fielding Geetha Mahadeva Prasad, wife of the late minister HS Mahadeva Prasad, whose death necessitated the bypoll.

For the BJP, it's been a Yeddyurappa show all the way. The former CM has been tramping the streets of both the constituencies. He has been campaigning frenetically in Nanjangud, where dalit stalwart and former minister Srinivasa Prasad, who quit the Congress last year, is the BJP candidate. "While the party's central leadership is not looking at these bypolls as a referendum, the results mean a lot for Yeddyurappa, who is positioning himself as the CM candidate," said BJP sources.

Sources close to the BJP state chief pointed out that the party lost seven of the 10 byelections in Uttar Pradesh that were held immediately after the 2014 general elections. "Aditya Nath Yogi was in charge of the bypolls, but the debacle did not decrease his importance," they added.

The BJP is hoping for former Union minister SM Krishna to join the campaign from Monday, while the Congress's strength has been bolstered with the seven suspended JD(S) MLAs throwing their lot with the party. JD(S) MLA B Zameer Ahmed Khan said, "I will campaign in both constituencies from Tuesday. We are doing this to keep the BJP out. I campaigned for BJP MP B Sriramulu when he formed his party."

What does victory mean for these leaders

*Siddaramaiah

Detractors in the party will be silenced

*BS Yeddyurappa

Strengthen his hold of the party at a time when senior leaders have been questioning his leadership

V Srinivasa Prasad

Retaining Nanjangud will reaffirm his stature as a dalit leader, proving that his popularity is independent of party affiliation

DK Shivakumar

With his name doing the rounds for the KPCC president's post, a win in Gundlupet will serve to bolster his image