With issues of great import, this region is central to Karnataka’s politics

The Malnad region comprises Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts

The loss of areca crop due to various diseases, issuance of title deeds for Sharavathi project evacuees and bagair hukum cultivators, loss of coffee crop due to rains, the dispute over implementing Kasturirangan committee report on Western Ghats may become key issues in Malnad region this election. The region comprises Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts.

The establishment of a new airport in Shivamogga and a government medical college in Davangere, the grant of Rs 5,300 in the union budget for upper Bhadra project, ongoing works on the Tumakuru-Chitradurga-Davangere railway project are expected to be used to score political brownie points in central Karnataka.

Of the 25 segments in central Karnataka and Malnad regions, BJP holds 20 seats and Congress five.

Shivamogga Urban, Shikaripur, Sorab seats in Shivamogga district, Chikmagalur, represented by BJP leader C T Ravi for decades, Sringeri, Davangere south, Davangere north, Channagiri and Molakalmur constituencies are likely to become high voltage seats in Malnad and central Karnataka regions.

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Former MLA Belur Gopalakrishna is eyeing the Congress ticket from Sagar, while former minister Kimmane Ratnakar is likely to face Home Minister Araga Jnanendra in Thirthahalli.

Though K S Eshwarappa is keen to contest from Shivamogga urban for the eighth time, the party may field a new face due to his age and his alleged role in contractor Santosh Patil’s suicide case.

The Congress is likely to field former MLA K B Prasanna Kumar from Brahmin community or corporator H C Yogish of Lingayat community.

The constant communal incidents, including the killing of Bajrang Dal activist Harsha in Shivamogga city, have not only tarnished the image of the ‘gateway of Malnad,’ but also affected the city’s economy.

Shikaripur, the home turf of four-time chief minister B S Yediyurappa, is all set to witness an election without him after a gap of nearly five decades. State BJP vice-president B Y Vijayendra, younger son of Yediyurappa, will try his electoral luck here.

Sorab is likely to witness a duel between brothers - Madhu Bangarappa of Congress and Kumar Bangarappa of BJP.

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KPCC spokesperson B A Ramesh Hegde says the Centre’s plan to implement the Kasturirangan panel report would prove detrimental to people of Malnad. Non-issuance of land rights to bagair hukum cultivators, non-submission of affidavit in Supreme Court that areca is not injurious to health will be other major issues in the region.

Yogish, a voter in Shivamogga, says of the seven seats in the district, BJP is the favourite to win three - Shivamogga Urban, Shivamogga Rural and Shikaripur. It has to work hard to retain Sorab, Sagar and Thirthahalli, while Bhadravathi is a still a hard nut to crack.

Davangere south, represented by nonagenarian Shamanur Shivashankarappa, will be a tough seat for BJP.

Shamanur is likely to face the election again on a Congress ticket, while BJP may field a new face. Davangere North, represented by S A Raveendranth of BJP, is likely to witness a close fight if he is the nominee from BJP again, against former minister S S Mallikarjun (Congress).

Chanangiri, which was a safe bet for BJP, now looks a difficult proposition for it, after the Lokayukta trapped sitting MLA Madal Virupakshappa’s son Prashanth in a bribery case. Virupakshappa will not contest this time, while his other son Mallikarjun is unlikely to be the face of BJP, as speculated earlier. The situation may become advantageous for the Congress.

Transport Minister B Sriramulu may not face the polls from Molakalmuru in Chitradurga district and this might pave the way for S Thippeswamy to be the BJP nominee.

The incumbent MLA of Hosadurga Goolihatti Shekhar is unlikely to be given ticket from BJP, following his spat with the party.

MLA from Hiriyur, Poornima Sreenivas of BJP, may face the polls again, while her husband Sreenivas may contest as an independent.

Prof A Shanmukha of Kuvempu University told DH that the opposition had an excellent opportunity to create an anti-incumbency wave in Malnad region after constant communal incidents and the hijab issue. But the ruling party succeeded in transforming those issues into a Hindu-Muslim fight. So, voters might exercise their franchise on these lines, ignoring development issues, he said.

Lingaraju, a voter of Davangere, says the Congress lacks a strong hold outside Davangere city in the district. Thus, BJP stands a better chance of repeating the 2018 results, he feels.

Ashokkumar V Paled, a political science professor from Davangere University, says the Congress had failed to project anyone from Lingayat community as a frontline leader in Davangere, dominated by voters belonging Veerashaiva-Lingayat community as BJP did. Leaders of backward classes have already identified themselves with BJP. So, Congress is losing its hold on Chitradurga, he said.