Caste calculations dominate the narrative in Basaveshwara’s land

Contest appears to be between the Congress and the BJP in Basavakalyan Assembly constituency

As mercury rises, things are heating up on the political front too in the byelection-bound Basavakalyan. Taking the election as a question of prestige, the Congress and the BJP have fielded their top leaders to camp and campaign for their candidates, while the JD(S) too is a contender here. In an attempt to ride on the sympathy wave, the Congress has fielded Mala B. Narayana Rao, wife of the late B. Narayana Rao whose death necessitated the byelection. The BJP has surprised the party ranks by fielding an “outsider” — Sharanu Salagar, a Kalaburagi-based party worker — over 16 local aspirants. Of the three bypoll-bound constituencies, the JD(S) has fielded a candidate only here, Sayed Yasrub Ali Quadri, amid allegations that it is an attempt to divide the Congress votes. Mallikarjun Khuba, a two-time MLA from the segment who was among the frontline contenders for the BJP ticket, has jumped into the arena as an Independent.