Former chief minister and BJP leader Jagadish Shettar is seeking a sixth consecutive victory in Hubballi-Dharwad Central assembly constituency this time. But the veteran has his back to the wall in what is one of the toughest elections of his lifetime. Dr Mahesh Nalwad of Congress, a medical practitioner and Lingayat, is not only seeking to divide Shettar’s Lingayat vote base but is also highlighting the five-time MLA’s failure to shore up the twin cities’ infrastructure.
Nalwad is also banking on the Siddaramaiah government’s pro-people welfare programmes to help him unseat the former CM. The government’s decision to grant religious minority status to Lingayats is also one of his campaign themes.
The soft spoken Shettar began a door-to-door campaign with his wife, Shilpa Shettar, much before BJP announced his candidature.
As chief minister, Shettar had won the seat by a margin of 17,754 votes in 2013 and went on to become the opposition leader in the assembly. But he has run into a huge anti-incumbency this time as even his loyal voters have taken to social media, questioning his contribution to the constituency.
Shettar’s supporters claim that voters, especially from SSK Samaj, Lingayat and other communities, will still vote for their leader given his down-to-earth mien and accessibility. “People loyal to RSS ideology are more in number here and they will ensure his victory with a bigger margin,” said former mayor Veeranna Savadi.
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Besides Nalwad, JD(S) candidate Rajanna Koravi too is harping on how Shettar’s five consecutive elections as MLA have failed to get the constituency bare essentials – good roads and a reliable water supply.
The inconvenience caused by the implementation of the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) is also being used as another weapon against Shettar by his opponents.
Besides Nalwad and Koravi, Aam Aadmi Party’s Santosh Nargund, an aeronautical engineer, is likely to eat into middle class votes that would have otherwise gone to Shettar. His hi-tech, social media-centric campaign is seeking a vote for change.
In an apparent bid to negate the anti-incumbency, Shettar’s camp is seeking a vote to strengthen PM Narendra Modi’s hands and refers to the former CM’s clean image. “During my 25 years as an MLA, I have never indulged in any kind of corruption and misappropriation and never protected any criminals or anti-social elements,” says Shettar.
