Did Minority Welfare minister Zameer Ahmed Khan’s adverse remarks on JDS patriarch and Vokkaliga icon HD Devegowda’s family make a dent in the Vokkaliga votes of the ruling Congress in the Channapatna bypolls?
Congress nominee CP Yogeshwara, who quit the BJP after the party denied him the ticket to contest from Channapatna, claimed that the bypolls in the constituency was a close fight and predicted a low margin victory for either of the two candidates.
While his statement much before the counting (on November 23) surprised the Congress leaders—especially former MP DK Suresh, in charge of Channapatna bypolls—the leaders have linked it to the betting that is prevalent in the region.
“It was an equal fight and I anticipate 50 per cent of my winning the seat as the JDS and BJP are natural allies and put up a good fight. The Congress party, too, gave a good fight under the DK brothers, but some unsavoury remarks (by Zameer) against Devegowda and his son (Union minister) HD Kumaraswamy have cost the party Vokkaliga votes. Zameer’s campaign helped consolidate the Muslim votes but ended up antagonising the Vokkaliga votes,” said Yogeshwara.
During the campaign, Zameer had used the word “Kaala” (slang for dark-skinned) to Kumaraswamy and “cautioned” the Muslim voters to keep a distance from the JDS leader.
“Yogeshwara was with Congress and has changed many parties. But when the BJP asked him to contest on a JDS ticket, he quit the party because he knew ‘Kaala’ Kumaraswamy was more dangerous than the BJP. He used to say he does not need Muslim votes, but today he is offering money to Muslims to vote for his son. Don’t fall for it. In fact, I can raise funds from the Muslims and buy out the entire Devegowda family,” Zameer said in his speech, evoking criticism from the Vokkaliga community.
Yogeshwara, who recalled 92-year-old Devegowda’s relentless campaign —30 public meetings in Channapatna—to ensure his grandson Nikhil’s victory, felt that sympathy towards Nikhil over his losing two consecutive elections, the might of Kumaraswamy (Union minister), and the support of the BJP might have worked to the advantage of the NDA candidate.
ALSO READ | Karnataka: Warring BJP factions announce separate rallies against Waqf
However, a major setback was the overzealous criticism of the Devegowda family, said the party-hopper Yogeshwara, who won the seat as an independent candidate in 1999, and on a Congress ticket in 2004 and 2008 polls, before switching to the BJP in 2011. He won the seat on a Samajwadi Party (SP) ticket in 2013 but returned to the BJP only to lose the seat to Kumaraswamy in the 2018 and 2023 elections. He resigned as MLA and quit the BJP, too, only to contest in the bypolls on a Congress ticket.
“The Vokkaliga community still has its affinity and loyalty towards the Devegowda family and the JDS. I am also a Vokkaliga, and Congress also has big leaders like DK Shivakumar, DK Suresh, and HC Balakrishna. But unless the community accepts our leadership, we cannot claim Vokkaliga leadership. There are many people who take offence if we talk against the Devegowda family,” rued Yogeshwar, also acknowledging that Devegowda was a “daithya shakti” (giant power) among the community.
Stating that Channapatna was a strong JDS bastion, Yogeshwara explained that the highest vote he could garner to date was 85,000 in a constituency with two lakh odd votes. “Unless a candidate can wrest more than one lakh votes, it is impossible to win. I am hoping that the Congress has been able to add enough votes to my kitty for me to win,” said Yogeshwara.
Suresh dismissed Yogeshwara’s theories, stating that the party had put up a good fight and their candidate would make the cut. However, the younger brother of KPCC chief DK Shivakumar expressed his disappointment over voters getting swayed by “money and caste considerations”. He also suggested that Yogeshwar’s statements might be intended to discourage his supporters from indulging in high-stakes betting.”
“By speculating on his loss, Yogeshwara has cautioned his supporters to not go overboard and take huge financial risks,” said Suresh, who also added that elections could no longer be fought on development issues as money and caste mattered more.
ALSO READ | Racist slur row: Karnataka Congress Min Zameer Khan apologises for calling Kumaraswamy ‘Kaaliya’
BJP MLA ST Somashekhar, who has identified himself in the Congress camp, seconded Suresh’s statement, saying Yogeshwara would certainly win, but his statements were part of his “tricks”.
“Yogeshwar has done good work in the constituency, and he will surely win. Remember, Yogeshwar is an artist (cine actor), and he always has a few tricks up his sleeve,” said Somashekhar.
Congress MLA Ramesh Bandisiddegowda gave a new twist to Zameer’s remark and said, “Zameer and Kumaraswamy have been thick friends, and I suspect Kumaraswamy might have asked Zameer to make such remarks so that it helps consolidate Vokkaliga votes.”
An annoyed Kumaraswamy slammed Zameer and his old gang of friends who were no longer with the JDS. “I will not react to Zameer as he is like ‘Kocche’ (slush)—and so are his four other friends—and I regret having been with them in the past. I have never addressed him as ‘kulla’ (dwarf) as he now claims. I was not raised in such a culture,” said Kumaraswamy.