“Eshwarappa is training guns at BJP, not my family,” retorts Raghavendra as the conflict in Shivamogga intensifies

In the Lok Sabha elections of 2024, there will be fierce competition for Shivamogga in Karnataka. On May 7, there will be a third round of voting for the Lok Sabha seat. The son of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, three-time MP BY Raghavendra, has been full of confidence despite facing opposition from KS Eshwarappa, a close political opponent of his father who has put in his candidacy as an independent.

Eshwarappa, the renegade leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has denounced Yediyurappa and his sons’ “dynastic politics” inside the party. Raghavendra chuckled away when asked how he would put a stop to this revolt on the field and whether Eshwarappa was attempting to settle political scores with his father, BSY. He said he would answer after the polls, but “people will teach them a lesson.” While on the campaign road, he further attacked the Independent candidate by accusing him of abusing Hindutva for his own advantage in an interview with News18.

Raghavendra believes that Eshwarappa’s candidacy against him would only hamper the latter’s prospects and that his efforts as an MP over three terms will speak in his advantage. “I was blessed and told by the leader whose name you used for the event that I would win with more than 5 lakh votes and even become a minister (union).” But in those two weeks, what transpired? I’m not sure. In this election, people will provide the solution, said Raghavendra.

The incumbent MP retaliated to Eshwarappa by saying, “He thinks he is showing a gun at our family, but he has not realized that he has actually shown it at our high command.”

“I have not given up; I have persevered.”
Furthermore, Raghavendra said that his situation is unrelated to the accusations of “parivaarwaad.” “Nehru’s daughter succeeded him as prime minister, and both men had family members holding prominent positions in the Congress. A member of their party served as the president of the Congress party throughout Rajiv Gandhi’s prime ministership, and the same was true for Sonia Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi had a prominent position during her presidency. A family’s choices on a party held at their houses are referred to as pariwarvaad. The upper leadership of the BJP made the decision, and all of my family members have ascended through the ranks, running for office as ABVP karyakartas and eventually becoming MPs. “So, is that considered family politics?” he said.

Raghavendra, a fourth-time candidate for the Lok Sabha, believes he has pleased his constituency this term with the work he has done. “At one of the villages, I was questioned why my father (BSY) is not running for office whereas in other parties, DK Shivakumar was supporting his brother Siddaramaiah for Mysore and Bengaluru Rural. I assured them that my brother, the state president, and my father Yediyurappa are completely confident in my victory. Our karyakartas are our strength, and they will effectively campaign for us in this election,” he said.

COLLABORATION WITH JDS
In the Karnataka election, the BJP and JDS have formed an alliance. The MP said, “It is a historical decision,” when asked how much coordination and collaboration the party workers of both parties are able to continue, particularly after having to fight tooth and nail against each other in the 2023 assembly elections. Deve Gowda has shown his respectability in opposing our party, as we have seen, but he subsequently said in front of Modi that they teamed up with the BJP to fight the Congress. They are putting their all into what they are doing, Raghavendra said.

It’s interesting to note that Hindutva and the Ram Mandir are major electoral themes in Shimoga, with the BJP-JDS alliance candidates urging voters to support Modi “Matomme” (again), Ayodhya, and Hindutva pride. While door-to-door canvassing in Bhadravathi, a constituency held by the Congress and JDS and one that the BJP has never won since Independence, Raghavendra seems pleased with the support of the local electorate.

“The JDS coalition has been beneficial. The architecture of the Ayodhya temple is another thing that impresses people here. Every home in Bhadravathi donated a brick to Ayodhya to aid in the construction of the temple, despite the fact that the BJP has not won from this area since Independence. According to the MP, “Ram Mandir has had an extraordinary effect on people and their trust in Modi.”

“PEOPLE ARE BEING CHEATED BY CONGRESS”
An undercurrent of opposition to Raghavendra’s tenure has also been sparked by his quest for reelection on four occasions. Geetha Shivrajkumar, a candidate for Congress, is the sister of current Karnataka minister Madhu Bangarappa and the daughter of former chief minister S Bangarappa. She has been emphasizing the need for change in her campaign. She remarked that bringing light into the lives of rural people, like her father Bangarappa does, is what contributes to the development of the village, not the construction of airports or roads, as claimed by Raghavendra. Although Raghavendra has referred to the Congress’s five guarantee projects as a “complete failure,” she has been touting their advantages throughout her campaign.

“They are transferring money with one hand while holding it with the other. A villager informed me that he had a drink after working hard all day. He gives the government Rs 50 in liquor taxes. He spends Rs 3000 a month on beverages, which come to Rs 100 each. Siddaramaiah steals the money from the husband and gives the wife Rs. 2000, saying the money belongs to the government. Is it not blatantly dishonest?” he inquired.

At a public event outside the last hamlet near the Bhadra River Project dam, a multifunctional reservoir created by Sir M Visvesvarayya and constructed in 1947, Raghavendra made sure to discuss the partnership between the JDS and BJP as he concluded his day’s campaigning. He demanded that the JDS back the BJP in order to create a more advanced India under Prime Minister Modi. You will be a part of the vision that Deve Gowda ji and Modi ji share for India. Are you going to support it with your vote? “Will you put one more flower in the name of Modi when you perform your morning pooja and pray for your family’s well-being?” he asked the female voters among those reciting the names of Modi and Deve Gowda.