Karnataka: It’s advantage Congress-JD(S) candidate in Jayanagar poll

The Janata Dal (Secular), which rules Karnataka in alliance with the Congress, on June 5 withdrew its candidate from the June 11 assembly election in Bengaluru's Jayanagar assembly constituency in favour of the Congress candidate, a party official said on Tuesday. The election to the Jayanagar seat was postponed following the death of BJP candidate and then sitting MLA BN Vijaya Kumar on May 4.

"On the directive of party supremo HD Deve Gowda, Kalegowda has withdrawn from the contest in support of the Congress and to prevent division of secular votes," the official told IANS. On June 1, the JD(S) and Congress had announced that they would jointly contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in a pre-poll alliance.

Congress candidate in the seat Sowmya Reddy is the daughter of veteran Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy, who was re-elected from the BTM Layout segment in Bengaluru in the May 12 assembly election. The BJP, which emerged as the single largest party in the 225-member hung assembly, on May 22 nominated BN Prahlad, younger brother of late BN Vijaya Kumar as its candidate to retain the prestigious seat, which BN Vijaya Kumar had won twice in a row.

BN Vijaya Kumar was a popular MLA and his brother is expected to gain sympathy votes in the seat. But Prahlad’s candidature created resentment among some BJP corporators and cadre in Jayanagar. Further, though Sowmya Reddy is a first-time candidate, she is a formidable opponent for Prahlad, even prior to receiving the pre-poll support from JD(S). Her father Ramalinga Reddy has previously won the Jayanagar assembly seat four times. BN Vijaya Kumar could win this seat only after Reddy shifted to BTM Layout. There has also been a big shift in voter preference in Bengaluru since BJP swept the city in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Congress has now emerged the largest party in the city. Sowmya now also has the considerable advantage of being the candidate of the ruling alliance, elected so recently that incumbency is a positive factor. In the previous assembly election in 2013, Congress and JD(S) votes combined were just ahead of BN Vijaya Kumar in Jayanagar. BJP is thus going into the Jayanagar election facing strong winds, and will find it difficult to pull off a hat-trick in the seat.

In all, 19 candidates, including nine Independents are in the fray. Jayanagar votes on Monday, June 11; results are on June 13.

With IANS inputs