In coastal K’taka, a ‘Hindutva’ push
Sitting in the office of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Mangaluru’s Muslim-majority neighbourhood of Ullal, Sharan Pampwell looks determined.
Pampwell heads the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) that acts as the BJP’s ideological front, in pollbound Karnataka’s coastal region comprising three districts — Dakshina Kannada (eight seats), Uttara Kannada (six seats) and Udupi (five seats).
“We will see to it that Hindu candidates get elected this time,” Pampwell declares while taking stock of booth-level activities with 15 workers. “Hindus suffered a lot under (the Congress’s) Siddaramaiah government.”
Pampwell was, until recently, the state chief of Bajrang Dal, another affiliate of the RSS. He claims a group of 3,000 workers of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal are toiling to ensure victories for Hindu candidates in a communally charged region that the ruling Congress swept the last time.
The day starts early for them. A group of 5-6 workers is assigned the task of knocking the doors of about 250-260 houses every day.
What do they tell people? “Hindutva should win to ensure peace. Else, there will be murders of Hindus and incidents like ‘love jihad’ that were rampant in the last five years,” Pampwell said.
THE CHALLENGE
There is discontent among some RSS workers, though, over BJP’s ticket distribution. Supporters of Satyajit Surathkal, the former convener of a local outfit, Hindu Jagaran Vedike, are upset over him being denied ticket from Mangalore City North and held protests. Anger also erupted in Puttur after another leader Arun Putthila was denied ticket. Both were backed by local RSS stalwart Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat.
This disenchantment can hurt the BJP and firefighting has already begun with the party’s joint general secretary BL Santosh – formerly an RSS leader – and others working overtime.
“The RSS wanted some candidate in that region, but we have to factor several aspects. Best candidates have been chosen,” a BJP functionary in New Delhi said on the condition of anonymity. “The RSS also realises that differences mustn’t hamper the goal of ensuring its philosophy’s victory.”
Pampwell insists “everything is now in the past”. “In our organisation, individuals do not matter. Organisation is supreme.”
Union minister and Dakshina Kannda MP Ananth Kumar Hegde is Hindutva poster boy in this region and there is talk of him becoming the chief minister in case of a fractured verdict on May 15. Uttar Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, a two-time parliamentarian, is an RSS protégé.
The BJP has focused on the alleged murder of 23 RSS-BJP workers allegedly by the Popular Front of India. “Four murders happened in Mangalore alone,” claims Pampwell. “Six cases of love jihad have been reported.”
THE ARITHMETIC
Akhilesh Kumar runs a paanshop at Collectors Gate in Mangalore. He migrated from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh three decade ago. “We want the BJP to return to power. The present government is seen as working only for one community,” he says.
Noteveryoneagrees.“TheBJP thrives on religious divide. We will not vote for them,” says Abdul Qadir, who runs his own bakery. “There has been peace in Mangalore for the past five years,” said Dr S Kakkilaya, whose father BV Kakkilaya was a veteran communist leader. “The five years of BJP rule brought bad name to Mangalore,” he said.
THE DIVIDE IS SHARP
The Congress swept Dakshina Kannda in 2013, winning seven out of eight assembly seats and losing one by a margin of 1,373 votes. The BJP won just one out of five seats in Udupi, similar to its performance in Uttara Kannada’s six seats, of which the Congress won three and two went to Independents. That was an election fought in the backdrop of the 2009 attack on women at a pub by members of extremist Hindu group, Sri Ram Sene. The BJP was also struggling with factionalism and corruption charges.
Muslims are 24% and Christians 8% in Dakshina Kannda. Congress has fielded two Muslim and one Christian candidate in three seats in Mangalore city; BJP has Hindu candidates in all.
The votes are yet to be cast, counted and the winners declared. Karnataka goes to polls on May 12 and results will be declared on May 15 for the 224 member assembly constituency. Politicians however are never short of confidence. The BJP’s chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa is so confident of a win, that he even declared when he plans to take oath as the 23rd chief minister of the state, only to recant the very next day.
No, it was not sudden modesty or any kind of apprehension on the likely outcome of polls that prompted this.
Yeddyurappa, who had initially said he would probably take oath on May 18 or 19, said that he is likely to do so on May 17 because 18th and 19th were declared to be not so ‘asupicious.’
He even declared the number of people (about 3-4 lakh) who would assemble for the ceremony. Will the voters of Karnataka oblige Yeddyurappa’s soothsaying or will Siddaramiah have the last laugh?
YWhile the candidates of major registered parties can contest on the reserved symbol (say Hand for Congress or Lotus for BJP), independent candidates have a tougher task. Unlike in the past when animals and other easily recognisable symbols were available, the Election Commission now releases a carefully curated list of them, for independents to choose from.
This election season, candidates could choose among cup & saucer, sword, biscuit, a saw, nail cutter and a pair of pliers.
Some of the symbols which used to be allotted earlier like fan or a coconut tree have fallen out of favour. This is because at or near the voting station, there cannot be visual representation of a particular candidate. This had lead to extreme situations of fans being covered or dismantled in a polling booth or demands by some candidates that coconut trees near a booth be covered so as not to confer an advantage to an opponent. One attention seeking actor who calls himself ‘firing star’ Huccha (literally, mad) Venkat, who is contesting from Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency as an independent, has chosen a pair of sandals as his symbol. To each his own.
POLL CHARGE Backed by RSS affiliates, BJP bets huge on 19 seats MANGALURU:
ou have heard of politicians enriching voters with food, liquor, money even appliances. But one contestant in Karnataka is being accused of using visitation to divine abode to win elections. CS Puttaraju, the Janata Dal (Secular) candidate for the Melukote constituency is being accused of offering voters a round trip to have a darshan of Tirupati Balaji. Voters not only get a free ride on specially arranged buses, but also free accommodation and food. The catch, according to his opponents, is that people who avail this are asked to swear in the name of Lord Venkateshwara that they will vote for him. While some villagers claim to have gone on the trip, the party and candidate say they are doing no such thing. Results day will indicate who has the true blessings of the lord.