Karnataka Election 2023: An interesting contest is going to take place this time on the Ramanagara seat of the old Mysore region of Karnataka. Congress state president in Karnataka DK Shivakumar has indicated that his brother will contest from this seat. The special thing is that Ramnagar seat is the seat of former Karnataka CM and Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy. With two high profile leaders contesting on this seat dominated by the Vokkalinga community, the seats in this region will also be affected.
Interesting thing is that Ramnagar is the home district of DK Shivkumar. Along with this, both DK Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy come from the Vokkalinga community. This is the reason that the equations of Ramnagar seat will affect other seats in the area as well. DK Shivakumar has said that his brother DK Suresh has received an offer to contest from Ramnagar. DK Suresh is currently the Member of Parliament from the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha seat.
What did DK Shivakumar say?
DK Shivakumar said on brother contesting elections, "I can’t deny it, but yes, there is an offer. I have to discuss this with everyone now. The message for me is that he should contest the elections. Local leaders are pressurizing me and the party is also saying that Suresh should contest the elections. I have not yet spoken to Suresh or party workers about this. It’s a big decision, but it’s not done yet."
The battle between two Vokkalingas!
Old Mysore region has 66 assembly seats. A large population of the Vokkalinga community lives here and it also decides the politics of the area. After Lingayats, this community has the most influence in the politics of the state. Till now JDS has influence in this area.
The Karnataka Congress President’s indication of fielding his brother is being considered as a major setback for JDS. So far the Ramanagara seat has been a JDS stronghold, but with the entry of DK Suresh, brother of DK Shivakumar, there is bound to be a split in the Vokkalinga votes.
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