High stakes in Kalaburagi: BJP, Congress lock horns in battle for key constituency

Bengaluru : With Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s son-in-law, Radhakrishna Doddamani, entering the fray, the Kalaburagi seat has turned into a high-profile constituency.

In a setback to the Congress, Umesh G Jadhav of the BJP wrested the seat by delivering a humiliating defeat to Kharge in the 2019 general election in Kalaburagi. The BJP has again this time fielded Umesh Jadhav as its candidate.

However, Mallikarjun Kharge took revenge during the assembly election by pulling votes from oppressed classes in the state towards Congress and defeating the BJP in the 2023 assembly election.

The BJP leaders have vowed to defeat Kharge’s son-in-law, Radhakrishna Doddamani, to settle the score of defeat in the assembly election. Sources explain that central leadership is also keen to win this seat at any cost as it would be considered a failure of AICC President Kharge and could prove to be a setback for the Congress party.

Following the latter abusing casteist slurs and giving life threats to Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge, son of Mallikarjun Kharge, the competition for the seat has intensified. Priyank Kharge is also accused of carrying out high-handedness on BJP workers and dominating the affairs in the Kalaburagi district with the help of the police department.

The BJP has alleged that two of its party workers were killed for political reasons in the district recently and staged a large-scale protest in Kalaburagi. This is also likely to become a major issue in the election.

Radhakrishna Doddamani looked after all activities of AICC President Kharge in Karnataka, especially in the Kalaburagi region. Unlike Priyank Kharge, Doddamani is known as a warm, humble person accepted by all sections of society.

Sources explain that Priyank Kharge’s hard stance, ruthless mindset, and don’t-care attitude towards the leaders of the forward communities, including Lingayats, might cause a setback for the Congress party.

The Kalaburagi Lok Sabha Constituency was created before the first elections of India in 1951-52. The seat includes Afzalpur, Jewargi, Gurumitkal, Chittapur, Sedam, Kalaburagi Rural, Kalaburagi South, and North assembly segments. Among the eight constituencies, BJP and JD (S) managed to win only one seat each in the 2023 assembly elections.

The Congress party has six MLAs, including Minister Priyank Kharge, and Minister for Medical Education and Skill Development Sharan Prakash Patil representing the Chittapur and Sedam assembly segments, respectively.

From 1952 to 2019, the Congress party has won the seat a majority of times. BJP managed to win in 1998 and 2019 general elections only. Mallikarjun Kharge represented the seat in the 2009 and 2014 general elections. Qamar Ul Islam won the Kalaburagi MP Seat for JD (S) in 1996.

In the 2019 general election, BJP’s Umesh Jadhav defeated Mallikarjun Kharge by 95,452 votes. The BJP depends on the influential Lingayat vote bank in the region and is confident of pulling votes from oppressed classes and Other Backward Communities (OBC). They firmly believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wave will help them achieve victory.

On the other hand, the Congress party is banking on the Muslim and Dalit vote bank in the region. The party also believes that people cutting across caste and class will vote for the Congress in the backdrop of the implementation of guarantees. Though being native to Mallikarjun Kharge, the district is still considered one of the most backward districts in the state.

Sources explain that there is an equal fight between the Congress and BJP candidates in the seat. The alliance of JD (S) will prove to be beneficial for the BJP in this seat. Yet, fingers are crossed over the results.