BJP's Modi push paying dividends for the party

Mandya: It is now evident that the BJP will not let Congress win over the Mandya and other five districts in the old Mysore region. Today's event at Mandya made it sure that the saffronisation of Old Mysore is doable. The organic growth of BJP in the last ten years happened ever since the former Chief Minister and Vokkaliga leader SM Krishna joined BJP. Since then it has been an exponential exercise. The JD(S) bogey has withered away but the BJP will still have to face Congress head on. "Everytime BJP and Congress becomes stronger, JDS is happy, because both of them were not able to shake off the tremendous support the JDS commands in seven districts of old Mysore region including Chamarajanagar, Mysore, Mandya, Ramanagaram, Tumakuru, Bengaluru rural and partly Bengaluru urban districts, flashes of support was also seen in Uttara Kannada and Chitradurga now and then, but cannot be sure that they will remain" says Ashwin Gowda a youth leader in Mandya.

"Both Congress and BJP have been trying hard to get a firm foothold in this region based on the promises made on the agrarian and riparian issues and swearing in on the name of Cauvery, but when the issue with Tamil Nadu erupted both parties hid behind their high commands and did nothing but to give lip sympathy to the suffering farmers, but JDS stood like a rock and said we will not budge from our stand in supporting the farmers in old Mysore region. It was our workers who put their necks on the chopping block when the BJP and Congress in their respective governments had done nothing to protect interests of farmers of Cauvery basin" Mohammad Kunhi a senior leader of the JDS told this correspondent.

Advocate TS Satyananda of Congress contradicts the popular notion that JD(S) is supreme in Old Mysore area. "Our leader G Madegowda had been MP for two terms in Mandya, recently even Ramya had won once, leaders like MadhuMadegowda, Ambareesh, Athmananda have been fighting for the cause of farmers and on one occasion the BJP workers had roughed up Madegowda for going all out in support of farmers. JDS is losing out on minority votes in Old Mysore region following many of the JDS leaders including Zameer Ahmed Khan and AkhandaSrinivasmurthy joining Congress, they will fight on Congress party ticket in Chamarajapet in Bengaluru and Tumakuru" Satyananda told.

It is another matter of why Modi during his Mandya visit on Sunday did not choose to be harsh to be on Deve Gowda and family and only chose to attack Congress. This shows that even Modi has some doubts of the fullest penetration of his party in the Congress bastion says Congress leaders in Mandya.

In some key constituencies JD(S) leadership has already cleared the candidates but asked them to wait for the party's green signal. Even as this report was filed Party's state head H D Kumaraswamy was having a closed door meeting with party's functionaries in a resort in Somwarpet in Kodagu on Tuesday where the final battle plans were being drawn.