In the Karnataka seat of Dharwad, it’s a fight between a political greenhorn and a veteran

This time, a seasoned politician and a political rookie are running for the Dharwad parliamentary seat. Although the BJP has won this seat seven times in a row since 1996 and is hoping to hold onto it, the Congress is using every strategy at its disposal to take it away from the saffron party. With the addition of a well-known Lingayat seer to the conflict, the fight has taken a triple turn.

 

The BJP has asked Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi to run for a fifth time, expressing its faith in him. However, in spite of his disastrous performance in the 2018 Assembly election, the establishment party is placing its bet on Vinod Asuti, the head of the Youth Congress. Dingaleshwar Swami of Shirahatti Bhavaikya Peetha is challenging the two national party candidates.

The BJP has won Hubballi-Dharwad West, Central, Kundgol, and Shiggaon in the Haveri district, while the GOP controls Hubballi-Dharwad East, Dharwad, Navalgund, and Kalaghatagi out of the eight Assembly constituencies in the constituency. However, Congress cannot use Vinay Kulkarni, the MLA from Dharwad, since he is not allowed to visit the area due to his suspected role in the murder of BJP activist Yogishgouda Goudar.

The candidates put out by the major parties are significantly different from the caste and religious makeup of the constituency. Joshi is a Brahmin, and Asuti is from the Kuruba (OBC) group, despite the fact that Lingayats and Muslims account for a significant portion of the vote. Only the independent candidate Dingaleshwar Swami, the leader of the Lingayat mutt, could benefit from the caste equation.

As the constituency’s representative since 2004, Joshi asserts that he has carried out several development projects around the area. Joshi has focused throughout the campaign on the NDA government’s history of keeping its word. He is sure of passing because of his performance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s impeccable reputation, and his popularity.

Asuti, the Congress candidate, is primarily depending on the five assurances put in place by the state government and the backing of the AHINDA group, which has unwaveringly supported Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Meanwhile, Joshi’s betrayal of the Lingayat leaders and people has become the central campaign platform for the Shirahatti pontiff.

The main problems of Dharwad include inadequate urban infrastructure, unemployment as a result of inadequate industrialization, a lack of basic services, especially in rural areas, and many other challenges. The non-implementation of the project connecting the Kalasa-Banduri streams with the Malaprabha river is significant among them, nevertheless. The project’s lack of execution is attributed to both national parties, but Joshi is singled out since, while serving in the Modi cabinet, he did not get central government approval.

Here, cities and villages deal with the issue of drinking water every summer. Undoubtedly, the Jal Jeevan Mission is being carried out to tackle the problem; nevertheless, the resolution of the issue is contingent upon the implementation of the river-linking project to augment storage at Malaprabha Dam. Voters will now have to make that decision on May 7.