Shivakumar, who has won seven consecutive elections since 1989, has also won from this seat three times in a row. Ashok – also a Vokkaliga leader like Shivakumar – hopes to cash in Narendra Modi To factor votes in favor of BJP, Ashok will contest from two seats – Padmanabha Nagar and Kanakapura in Bengaluru.
In an exclusive interview to News18, Ashok said that he is excited to make Kanakapura a ‘BJP constituency’. Explaining why a large number of sitting MLAs were not given tickets, the BJP leader clarified that they were facing high anti-incumbency in their seats, forcing the central leadership to take tough decisions.
Edited excerpts:
How do you see the election this time as you are fighting from two seats? Is it going to be easy for you?
I have won the election six times – thrice from Padmanabha Nagar and thrice from Uttarahalli. It was a surprise for me that I would be contesting from two seats. Both are very important. Padmanabha Nagar is the place where Deve Gowda lives and Kanakapura is where Congress Party President DK Shivakumar will contest against me. Shivakumar has also won the election seven times. I think this election is a challenge for me. I am a ‘sainik’ (soldier) and my captain and general have ordered me to fight. I will fight and win both the seats.
What will be your strategy for Kanakapura where you will be fighting against Shivakumar? This region is also Vokkaliga belt.
Two Vokkaligas are going to fight against each other. Shivakumar is a well known figure, and so am I. I am the revenue minister at the moment and naturally there is going to be a big fight. All communities including Vokkaligas want Narendra Modi government. Those who want Modi will vote for BJP and me. Modi is trending all over India. Take the Northeast, which has a sizable Christian population. There also we have won with the Modi wave. I will make Kanakapura a BJP constituency.
You are saying that the people of Kanakapura who want to vote for Modi should vote for you and you will go to the people with Modi’s rule?
Yes, of course. He is my leader. Every villager knows who Modi is. Kanakapura is a tough constituency… Election is like a war. The BJP got over 50,000 votes in Kanakapura in the last Lok Sabha election, which means Modi is popular. When I enter the constituency, naturally Vokkaligas will support me. I have received many calls from people that they will support me.
How is BJP trying to control the rebellion in the party?
Central leaders have spoken to Eshwarappa and Jagadish Shettar. The problem is with those who have come from other parties. BJP is very strong in center and state and they will solve the issues easily. They will be resolved in two to three days. We have announced more than 200 seats which no other party has done, naturally, everyone wants to contest as MLA. Our leaders are capable enough to deal with it.
Wherever Amit Shah goes, the BJP wins – be it UP or the Northeast, there it wins. wherever wherever Rahul Gandhi goes, the Congress loses. Amit Shah recently told me in the core committee meeting that he would come to Karnataka and leave only after the formation of the BJP government. We have that kind of confidence. When Modi-ji starts campaigning, we get additional 20 seats for BJP.
Senior leaders like Angara and Raghupati Bhat said they felt humiliated at being denied tickets. How do you react?
The leaders of our party will discuss this with the leaders. Four to five surveys were done in Karnataka. There was no partiality in the selection of the candidates. The central leaders took into account the caste composition and the result of the survey report before taking a decision. Reports suggested that there was anti-incumbency in the seats of several MLAs.
You are saying that those who have been ousted have faced anti-incumbency?
Yes. Usually, the level of anti-incumbency can be minus one or minus two or even three. We can increase the chances in such cases by the visits and campaigns of our central leaders BS Yeddyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai. But an anti-incumbency wave of more than five per cent is intolerable and that is why the party high command decided to deny him a ticket.
Has the increase in reservation for Lingayats and Vokkaligas and the construction of the Kempegowda statue helped Vokkaligas garner more support for the BJP?
Yes it definitely is. Vokkaliga support will increase by four to five per cent. PM Modi visited Mandya and held a huge rally, inaugurated the Mysore-Bengaluru Expressway, inaugurated Kempegowda’s statue at the airport, and which I helped install in front of Vidhana Soudha. All this will help us. In the last 70 years, there was not a single statue of the man who built Bengaluru – Kempegowda. All this will work positively for all the communities including Vokkaligas.
Were you upset when you came across ‘Ashoka Go Back’ posters?
I was not upset. It is bound to happen that when a strong person enters Mandya, the rivals will protest. I have the police report. I have a lot of work to show, including my Gram Vastavya (living in the village) program, which includes handing over hakku patras (ownership deeds) to beneficiaries by Modi-ji in Gulbarga. I want to do the same in Davangere. I have done all this as the Revenue Minister.
What do you think about Siddaramaiah reconsidering contesting from Kolar?
Whichever constituency Siddaramaiah visits, be it Varuna, Badami, or Chamundeshwari, he will not give to the people of that constituency. He was never stable in any constituency. There is not a single ‘safe seat’ for Siddaramaiah in 224 seats. He has to face the rebellion of his own leaders everywhere. DK Shivakumar is trying to defeat him, Parameshwara is trying to defeat him and KH Muniyappa wants to defeat him. So he is afraid to contest from any constituency in the state.
What will be your political mantra to fight your rival Shivakumar?
This is war and I am a soldier. My commander (Modi) will also come to campaign and it will benefit me. Shivkumar has no commander. He needs to handle everything on his own. I have Modi, Amit Shahji, what does he (DKS) have? I will fight against DK Shivakumar and win.
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