A few weeks before the party’s list was announced, top AICC functionaries and former CM M Veerappa Moily during his visit to the city made it clear that he would support Vasu. As the competition between Harish and Vasu to secure the party ticket became fierce, the high command could only announce the name of the candidate in the third list.
Although the Congress tried for years, it could not win the region since 1994 after losing it to the BJP, which is a dominant force in the constituency. BJP stalwart and former mayor HS Shankarlingegowda had won a record four consecutive terms with the BJP, but lost the 2013 elections when he contested on the JD(S).
JD(S) which has a dominant presence in the segment winning most of the wards in MCC elections though it has not been able to win Chamaraja assembly constituency even once.
The constituency is dominated by the Vokkaliga community with over one lakh voters out of a total of 2.37 lakh voters. Since 1952 the voters of this region have always elected a Vokkaliga leader to represent them in the assembly. Except Shankarlingegowda, no MLA has been re-elected from the constituency.
The constituency has mainly supported candidates Janata Party Or Bharatiya Janata Party Since 1978. Only three Congress leaders – BN Kengegowda (1978), K Harsha Kumar Gowda (1989) and Vasu (2013) – have managed to emerge victorious.
A developed section, the Chamaraja constituency forms the education center of Mysore, apart from hospitals and industrial suburbs and areas developed by the Maharajas of Mysore. While the Vokkaliga community is a sizeable force, there are about 24,000 Muslim voters, about 24,000 Kurubas and 8,000 Christians.
Harish Gowda said that since the defeat of the independents in the last elections, he is continuously visiting the constituency to address the problems of the people. He said that Congress leaders and workers are working in the wards to highlight the development programs launched by the Siddaramaiah government.
Giridhar, working president of the Mysore City BJP unit, said people are supporting the party’s candidate and sitting MLA L Nagendra because of the development work done in the last 5 years. He said that the BJP will perform better than the previous elections.
Nagendra, who is seeking a second term, had contested from the Congress during the 2018 assembly elections. He got 36.77% marks. Vasu got 36,747 votes, while JD(S) candidate KS Rangappa, former VC, got 27,284 votes. Harish Gowda, who contested as an independent, got 21,282 votes. The JD(S) has fielded HK Ramesh, the son of former MLA H Kempegowda, who was elected from the constituency in 1983 on a Janata Party ticket.
trying my luck a second time Aam Aadmi PartyMalavika is Gubbivani.
He got 483 votes during the last assembly elections, but continued his fight keeping in touch with the region.
He said that the people of the area want change by giving a chance to big political parties.