Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Key Facts to Know Before Voting Day – News18

Chikkaballapur constituency is one of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka. It is a general category seat and comprises parts of Bangalore district and Chikkaballapur district and the entire Bangalore Rural district. Currently, eight Assembly segments fall under the Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha constituency, of which the Congress holds five (Gauribidanur, Bagepalli, Chikkaballapur, Hosakote and Doddaballapur), the JD(S) holds two (Devanahalli-SC and Nelamangala-SC), and the BJP holds one (Yelahanka). Chikkaballapur constituency will vote in the second phase of general elections on April 26.

Sitting MP – BN Bache Gowda (BJP)

Candidates – MS Raksha Ramaiah (Congress), Dr K Sudhakar (BJP)

Political dynamics

• Congress: The grand old party has opted for youth over experience in Chikkaballapur constituency, nominating MS Raksha Ramaiah instead of former Union minister M Veerappa Moily.
• Moily, 84, had been actively lobbying for the ticket this time, but the party picked Ramaiah, the son of senior Congress leader and former minister MR Seetharam. The 84-year-old Moily was elected from the Chikkaballapur constituency twice in 2009 and 2014 but lost in 2019.
• Raksha Ramaiah has served as the national general secretary of Youth Congress. With the ticket going to Ramaiah this time, Moily announced retirement from politics but assured he would work for the official Chikkaballapur candidate.
• Chikkaballapur has been a Congress bastion since its formation in 1977. The party has lost the seat only on two occasions — 1996 and 2019. Between 1984 and 1991, Congress’s Brahmin candidate V Krishna Rao scored a hat-trick in this Vokkaliga-dominated parliamentary constituency.
• The ruling Congress will this time look to consolidate the gains that it made in the Assembly elections in May last year when it made inroads into the strongholds of the JD(S) headed by former prime minister HD Deve Gowda in these southern districts, including Chikkaballapur.
• The Congress is hoping to further its prospects and continue its dominance in the region, with the help of its strong local leadership and riding on its five guarantee schemes.
• BJP: The saffron party has fielded former health minister Dr K Sudhakar from Chikkaballapur.
• A three-time MLA, Dr K Sudhakar is a well-known name in Chikkaballapur. He had, however, lost the 2023 Assembly elections from the Chikkaballapur Assembly constituency.
• Sudhakar was previously with the Congress, but resigned from the Assembly in 2019, a year after winning the Lok Sabha election. A medical professional, Sudhakar was among the 18 disqualified MLAs who later joined the BJP. He successfully contested the 2019 by poll.
• During the Covid-19 pandemic, he was given the health and medical education portfolio.
• A section of the Karnataka BJP is said to be upset with the ticket being given to a former Congressman. Sudhakar’s nomination dashed the hopes of former Union minister and former chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda, who was assured of being given the Chikkaballapur ticket after he was dislodged from the Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency.
• The candidature of Sudhakar has also led to bad blood between him and Yelahanka BJP MLA SR Vishwanath whose son Alok Vishwanath was among the aspirants for the Chikkaballapur ticket.
• Sudhakar had recently claimed that he went to Vishwanath’s residence to seek his support for the elections but was not welcomed inside the house.
• Countering the claim, SR Vishwanath said in a press conference that “such gimmicks are unnecessary” and cautioned Sudhakar that it could “prove costly”.
• Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa, who has a pan-Karnataka appeal, has also been campaigning actively. His son is now the state BJP chief.
• Disgruntlement among supporters of incumbent MPs who failed to get re-nomination as well as internal differences among state leaders may work against the party.
• Modi popularity: The BJP’s biggest strength is PM Narendra Modi’s charisma as well as development and social welfare programmes of his government at the Centre.
• PM Modi addressed election rallies in the Old Mysuru region, including Chikkaballapur, on April 20.
• Test for JD-S: The Vokkaliga heartland, consisting of several southern districts, including Chikkaballapur, will be the testing ground for the recently forged BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka.
• In the 2019 general elections, the Congress and JD(S) fought together, but secured only one seat each in the state. The BJP bagged 25 out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats.
• Lack of trust between sizeable workers and leaders of both parties on the ground had proved to be counterproductive for Congress and JD(S) combine in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, resulting in their rout and helping the BJP.
• This time, the JD(S) has an alliance with the BJP.
• The JD(S) is now looking to bounce back after the drubbing it received in the May Assembly polls.
• The Congress and JD(S) are considered to be traditional rivals in the region, where the BJP has also been improving its vote-share.
• The BJP-JD(S) alliance hopes to counter the Congress’s surge in the region, determined to consolidate Vokkaliga votes in their favour and banking on the Modi charisma.
• The JD-S comes with the baggage of dynasty politics and being a “family-controlled party”.
• Caste factor: Vokkaligas are the electorally dominant caste in this constituency with 5,39,000 voters, followed by the Dalit voters at 4,80,000.
• The Muslim community has 1,76,000 voters here.
• The Lingayat votes add up to 82,000.
• Among the factors in Congress’s favour are Chief Minister Siddaramaiah being seen as a champion of backward classes and minorities and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar belonging to the dominant Vokkaliga community.
• Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge being from Karnataka may help consolidate Dalit vote base.
• Among the challenges the grand old party faces is the Vokkaliga and Lingayat opposition to caste census report now with the government.
• BJP’s K Sudhakar has a certain advantage in Chikkaballapur since he is from the Vokkaliga community.

Key constituency issues

• Reservation: The government’s decision on scrap the 4% reservation for Muslims under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota and distributing it equally among the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, while placing Muslims under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, and introduction of internal reservation for different Dalit communities under Scheduled Caste (SC) category is likely to have an impact in general elections.
• Water scarcity: Chikkaballapur and Kolar districts have been suffering water crisis with borewells unable to fulfil agriculture and drinking needs.
• A report titled ‘Dynamic Groundwater Resources Assessment of India’ had found Chikkaballapur (145%) as groundwater over-exploited district.
• Congress has repeatedly alleged BJP MPs’ “inability” to get justice to the state with drought relief.
• Food supply at risk: Chikkaballapur district is a major supplier of vegetables and fruits to Bengaluru. Given the water crisis in Chikkaballapur, farmers who depend exclusively on borewells for irrigation have expressed concerns over being able to maintain healthy supply to the city.
• Corruption: Both BJP and Congress have been trading barbs on the issue of corruption, primarily pointing to each other’s tenures in state government. The ruling Congress has accused the BJP of corruption and maladministration in Karnataka, while the BJP has been highlighting the clean governance of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
• Development: The BJP will seek to focus on various development projects and social welfare initiatives taken up by the Narendra Modi government, while the Congress will showcase its track record in Karnataka.
• Price rise: The Congress has made price rise a key issue, particularly the “high” cooking gas and fuel prices. The BJP is banking on the economic strides under the Narendra Modi government and how a rising India has become the world’s fifth largest economy.

Voter demographics

Female voters — 9,89,369

Male voters — 9,76,436

Others — 262

Total voters — 19,66,067

Social composition

SC — 21.7%

ST — 7.59%

Religious composition

Buddhist — 0.03%

Christian — 1.07%

Jain — 0.2%

Muslim — 10.7%

Sikh — 0.05%

Literacy rate

67.92%

Major infra projects in Chikkaballapur

• Manufacturing plant: NIFCO South India Manufacturing Private Limited is investing Rs 288 crore to build a new plant in Gauribidanur, Chikkaballapur to manufacture automotive plastic parts. The plant is expected to create about 400 jobs, with 65% of them being for women, and the project is slated for completion over five years, starting in 2023-24.
• Electric train service: In December last year, the Southwestern Railway extended the Memu (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) train services operating on the airport route from Devanahalli to Chikkaballapur. The extended train services are expected to benefit not only students but also farmers and visitors heading to the 112-ft Adiyogi bust at Chikkaballapur’ s Isha Foundation.
• Heritage rail tour: The Southwestern Railway is also working on the Bengaluru-Devanahalli-Chikkaballapur route, aiming to showcase historical landmarks and scenic spots. Restoration work for heritage stations along this route, including Doddajala, Devanahalli, Avatihalli, and Nandi halt, is underway.
• The Devanahalli-Chikkaballapur railway line holds historical significance, being the first railway network established by private enterprise during Sir M Visvesvaraya’s tenure as the Diwan of Mysore in 1915. Muddenahalli, Chikkaballapur, is the birthplace of Sir M Visvesvaraya, adding another layer of historical importance to this railway line.
• Airport trains extended to Chikkaballapur: Amid public demand, the Southwestern Railway in December extended three airport-bound trains by an additional 22km up to Chikkaballapur. This meant the trains would originate from Chikkaballapur instead of the Devanahalli station.
• Free-of-cost medical college and hospital: In March last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR) at Chikkaballapur. SMSIMSR provides medical education and quality medical care – completely free of cost – to all.

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