Who needs Modi? Congress cripples itself in Karnataka

Bangalore: She shot into the limelight as the youngest parliamentarian of the nation when she won the by-election as a Congress candidate from the Janata Dal (Secular) bastion of Mandya in 2013.

Ramya (Divya Spandana) became an overnight sensation in the Congress, as she was one of the few Kannada film actresses who had won an election to enter Parliament from Karnataka. The Congress, which had just captured power in Karnataka, worked overtime to demolish the JD(S) citadel in the by-election and further consolidate its position.

However, things are not the same anymore in Mandya or the Congress as Ramya seeks re-election by contesting against the same opponent from the JD(S) against whom she had won comfortably last year.

The situation is exactly the opposite of what happened during the last by-elections. Then, the JD(S) in the district was a divided house over the candidature of CS Puttaraju. This time, the Congress is a divided house. Ramya’s campaigning has taken a hit because of this.

The Congress in Mandya is a faction-ridden house with followers of former chief minister SM Krishna, Housing Minister MH Ambarish (another film star-turned politician) and veteran leader G Made Gowda locked in a bitter power tussle. While Ramya is identified with the Krishna group, she is not completely among his followers either. Even Krishna’s nephew Gurucharan is not happy with Ramya’s style of functioning, and he has made that public on several elections.

During the by-elections itself Ramya had realized that the general elections could be tough for her. However, back then, she had used the division of the JD(S) to her advantage. But, as an MP, she antagonized many of the JD(S) MLAs in the constituency.

Meanwhile, the supporters of Ambarish and Made Gowda have also expressed anguish over Ramya’s style of functioning. Sensing trouble, Krishna, who had kept away from Mandya district politics for long time, intervened and chose MS Athmananda, a close associate of Made Gowda as the Mandya District Congress Committee (DCC) president. Though this helped calm down Gowda’s supporters a bit, it only served to irk Ambarish’s supporters.

By the time the election was announced, Ambarish became unwell because of which he had to seek treatment in Singapore. The situation in Mandya started drifting out of control and Ambarish’s supporters began demanding the ouster of Athmananda from the Mandya DCC President’s post. Eventually, the party had to reconstitute the Mandya DCC with over 45 office-bearers which only served to upset all three factions.

The situation turned even worse for Ramya when she reportedly overlooked local leaders for her campaign, in favour of her personal friends. Besides, Ramya’s tendency to frequently refer to AICC vice president Rahul Gandhi and eulogize his dream of a future India in front of senior leaders like Made Gowda apparently has not gone down well either. Another allegation against her was that she meddled with the MPLAD scheme funds, which were allocated by her predecessor N Cheluvarayaswamy of the JD(S).

Her proximity to Rahul has been of little help. She brought the infighting in the Congress to his notice but did not get any help from him. Consequently, she started visiting colleges in the constituency to interact with the students. Her idea was to build her own vote bank comprising youngsters and use her charisma to secure votes.

This move also irked the Congress workers at the block and hobli level units. They felt sidelined, as they were unaware of their MP candidate’s programs in their respective jurisdictions. Consequently, when the campaign began, the Congress factions fought in public, forcing her to abandon campaign trails in the middle.

The state Congress unit, which is keen on ensuring Ramya’s victory, cracked the whip against the dissidents, but in vain. Now, they are waiting for the return of Ambarish to patch up the warring groups. Though the state Congress unit wants Ambarish to campaign in Mandya for three days, he is not expected to campaign for more than a day.

Puttaraju, meanwhile, has mended his relationship with the JD(S) MLAs of his constituency and all of them seem to be working in unison. For the party’s supreme leader HD Deve Gowda, Mandya is a ‘focus’ constituency, as he is keen on wresting back the seat. Gowda has included Mandya as one of the five constituencies that JD(S) is likely to emerge victorious. He has entrusted Cheluvarayaswamy with the task of leading the campaign.

It is to be seen whether the voters of Mandya will repose faith in Ramya or opt for the JD(S).