Varuna set to see fierce electoral battle

It can't get more contrasting than this in Varuna Assembly segment of the district. Siddaramaiah, a veteran politician and a strong chief ministerial candidate, pitted against a fresher who served as a private assistant to former Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa for long.

Heavyweight Yeddyurappa has vowed to defeat Siddaramaiah through Ka Pu Siddalingaswamy who served him well in the ups and downs of his tumultuous political career. "Let him first win in Varuna," Yeddyurappa, who quit the BJP late last year and floated his own regional outfit Karnataka Janatha Paksha, has challenged Siddaramaiah more than once in recent days, giving the electoral contest the tag of being prestigious.

Siddalingaswamy knew for a long time that he would be Yeddyurappa's choice and was nursing the constituency well for many months and no doubt had the momentum going for him initially. But Siddaramaiah, a seasoned politician, it seems is peaking at the right time, conducting whirlwind tours of the constituency towards the fag end of the campaigning. "I will win. That's 100 per cent sure," he said. Works done on the irrigation front are seen as a huge plus for Siddaramaiah, who is currently Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and had earlier served as Deputy Chief Minister. "And which voter does not want to see a (future) Chief Minister elected from his or her own constituency," a local resident said. Siddalingaswamy, the KJP candidate, is banking on the support of Lingayats, who are sizeable in the segment and Yeddyurappa doing the trick for him. But Siddaramaiah has another advantage going for him. L Revanasiddaiah, the former DGP and a Lingayat who contested on BJP ticket in the 2008 elections but lost to him, is in the Congress now and is actively campaigning for the former. Siddaramaiah's actor-son Rakesh has also shouldered canvassing responsibility. Varuna also has a sizeable chunk of Kurubas, the community to which Siddaramaiah belongs to.

The JD-S has fielded Cheluvaraju, a retired police officer, and the BJP S D Mahendra, but the spotlight is certainly on Siddaramaiah-Siddalingaswamy duel. A win in Varuna may catapult Siddaramaiah into Chief Minister's "gaddi", and it would be a loss of face for Yeddyurappa if his "Man Friday" bites the dust. It's among the seats whose outcome is awaited with bated breath in the May five Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, BJP on Friday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Congress leaders for "damaging" Karnataka's image during their campaign for the May 5 Assembly polls in the state.

"It was India's image that had taken a beating because of the corrupt Congress rule at the Centre," BJP General Secretary H N Anantkumar told reporters after unveiling a book '100 Still Not Out! - UPA Scams'.