It is a proxy war between Lad and Reddy in mineral-rich Sandur

Bangaru Hanumantha, BJP candidate for Sandur Assemblky seat.
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While winter descends to chill the mineral-rich hills and rain-fed plains of Sandur in Ballari district, the heat of campaign by political parties for the November 13 byelection too is catching up here.

The byelection for Sandur, necessitated by the resignation of its incumbent representative E. Tukaram of the Congress, who successfully contested the Lok Sabha election from Ballari, has become a matter of prestige for both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP. The fight is between Mr. Tukaram’s wife, E. Annapurna, and the BJP’s Bangaru Hanumantha, president of the ST Morcha of the party in Karnataka.

Congress fortress

Sandur has been a Congress stronghold since the first Assembly elections held in 1957 when H. Rayana Gouda won. Of the 16 elections held in the constituency since, including a byelection, the Congress has won 14. Janata Party candidate U. Bhupathi and Janata Dal (Secular) candidate Santosh Lad won in 1985 and 2004, respectively.

Mr. Lad, now with the Congress, is leading the campaign for the party. On the BJP’s side, mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, who was until recently barred from entering into Ballari on account of illegal mining cases, is leading the campaign with great gusto. He got relief from the Supreme Court just ahead of byelection and it has turned out to be an opportunity for him to prove his strength and regain his lost supremacy in the district.

E. Annapurna, Congress candidate for Sandur seat
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The byelection in Sandur is thus a proxy battle between Mr. Lad and Mr. Reddy. In fact, Mr. Reddy’s entry into the campaign scene has turned the fight, which initially appeared to be a cakewalk for the Congress, more fluid and uncertain.

In the Sandur segment, reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, the Valmiki (Beda/Naik) community is numerically powerful, with an approximate voter size of 65,000, followed by the Scheduled Castes (SCs) with around 40,000 voters, Lingayats – 35,000 voters, Kurubas – 30,000 voters, and Muslims with around 15,000 voters.

Since both candidates are from the Valmiki community, the community votes are expected to get divided. As per the caste calculations of both parties, while the Congress has better influence among the SCs, Kurubas, and Muslims, the BJP holds sway over the Lingayats.

Outsider vs. local

The BJP, with no strong local candidate, had to bet on Mr. Hanumantha, a native of the neighbouring Kudligi. The Congress has missed no opportunity to brand him an “outsider”.

There was discontentment over the party’s choice of candidate, with aspirant K.S. Diwakar initially raising a banner of revolt. He has been placated to an extent since, with the offer of the post of secretary in the party’s State unit. But his supporters still contend that the party stood a better chance with him since he had already begun to work on the field and built a network.

Missing mining issue

Interestingly, though Sandur has been the hotbed of mining activities, often hitting the headlines for illegal mining, this issue has barely resonated during the campaign. Though Mr. Lad has attacked Mr. Reddy in public meetings a few times, citing illegal mining cases, it has not been a central issue.

The extent of damage done to the environment and livelihoods in the mining-ravaged area, the status of rehabilitation and reclamation activities, and other mining-related issues are hardly touched upon in the election campaign. The Congress is mainly riding on its guarantee schemes. The BJP is banking on alleged corruption in the Congress government, repeatedly raising the MUDA issue, the Valmiki corporation ‘scam’, and most recently the waqf land row with its anti-minority overtones.