At Channapatna Field Workplace, ‘Leaping Jack’ CP Yogeshwar Scripts Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s Flop – News18
Final Up to date:
Yogeshwar’s last-minute swap from the BJP to the Congress for the Channapatna by-election was a daring gamble that paid off in a high-stakes political battle
The mixed energy of DK Shivakumar and CP Yogeshwar put strain on Kumaraswamy within the Vokkaliga-dominated constituency. (X)
A ‘leaping jack’ has actually floored the legacy of a 91-year-old who campaigned tirelessly for a whole week to make sure his grandson didn’t turn out to be a “hat-trick failure” — a future he couldn’t change.
CP Yogeshwar, popularly known as ‘Leaping Jack’ in his stronghold of Channapatna meeting constituency in Karnataka for his tendency to change events continuously, achieved victory regardless of a tricky struggle put up by your complete Deve Gowda household.
The nonagenarian patriarch of the JDS, HD Deve Gowda, campaigned extensively for his grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy, personally looking for help from voters. Yogeshwar’s win, in the meantime, was his personal effort and join with the folks and the backing of the DK brothers, say the Congress.
Yogeshwar’s last-minute swap from the BJP to the Congress for the Channapatna by-election was a daring gamble that paid off in a high-stakes political battle. His victory, although, got here with surprising challenges, together with controversies sparked by his personal Congress ally, Zameer Ahmed Khan.
“I transfer events for my political survival. I’ve modified events—be it contesting as an unbiased, for the JD(S), BJP, or Congress—all for political survival and for the betterment of the folks of Channapatna. Each time a celebration is in energy, I exploit that energy or be part of them for the betterment of the constituency. I’m secure now with the event works I’ve introduced. I stop the NDA to affix the Congress due to HD Kumaraswamy and his household’s greed,” Yogeshwar advised News18.
With this loss, the JD(S) appears to have sealed its destiny within the Vokkaliga heartland, which the get together and the Deve Gowda household claimed would at all times help them.
“He (Nikhil) was sure to turn out to be a ‘hat-trick hero’ when it comes to dropping elections. You understand, Shiva Rajkumar, son of the enduring Kannada actor Rajkumar, earned the adage of ‘Hat-trick Hero’ as a result of his first three motion pictures had been nice box-office hits. However this chief’s third consecutive loss has made him a ‘hat-trick zero’,” quipped a senior BJP chief on situation of anonymity.
Yogeshwar, a five-time MLA and seasoned politician, entered the fray in opposition to Nikhil in a contest steeped in political rivalry. This time, each Sandalwood cine stars had been battling for a blockbuster success of their political careers. But, it was Zameer Ahmed Khan’s remarks that turned the focus of the marketing campaign, creating turbulence throughout the Congress.
Throughout a rally, Khan focused Kumaraswamy with a stunning remark, calling him “kalia” (black man) and accusing him of exploiting Muslim votes as a bargaining device. “Yogeshwar didn’t be part of the JD(S) as a result of ‘kalia’ Kumaraswamy is worse than the BJP. He’s seeking to purchase Muslim votes, however as a substitute, all of the Muslims will pool their cash and purchase your loved ones,” Khan declared.
The assertion, meant to energise the group, as a substitute alienated voters. Congress leaders, together with Yogeshwar, had been visibly uncomfortable. “Zameer’s phrases had been meant to consolidate Muslim votes, however they backfired, hurting us in different communities,” a visibly upset Yogeshwar advised News18. Nonetheless, it in the end had little impact on his core voter base.
This victory was additionally seen as a comeback for DK Suresh who campaigned aggressively following his loss within the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha seat to the BJP. The DK brothers, Shivakumar and Suresh, made it their mission to make sure a Congress win within the Channapatna seat, a prestigious battle for each events.
Shivakumar put aside previous variations with Yogeshwar, who had beforehand performed a job in Suresh’s defeat within the Lok Sabha elections. Each leaders embraced the precept of “the enemy’s enemy is my pal” to problem Kumaraswamy in Channapatna, a seat the JD(S) had received within the 2023 meeting elections.
At a press convention earlier, talking on their unlikely coming collectively, Shivakumar had remarked: “Politics is the artwork of the attainable.” “Congress blood flows within the veins of Yogeshwar. He began his political profession within the Congress. He met me and mentioned he wish to return to the get together fold and resume his political profession with us after being within the NDA for a while,” Shivakumar added.
The choice to carry Yogeshwar again into the Congress fold wasn’t with out its challenges. He had pushed the BJP management laborious, refusing their proposal to contest as a JD(S) candidate to keep up the alliance between the 2 events. Kumaraswamy himself had reportedly agreed to the proposal.
“I’ve bent right down to the bottom. How a lot decrease ought to I bend? There’s a restrict to my endurance and tolerance. There is no such thing as a query of creating a call opposite to the feelings of the employees on the Channapatna candidate challenge,” mentioned Kumaraswamy in response.
Yogeshwar’s political journey has been one in all frequent shifts. He contested his first election as an unbiased in 1999. In 2004 and 2008, he ran as a Congress candidate. By 2011, he had joined the BJP, received the Channapatna by-election, and later contested unsuccessfully on a Samajwadi Celebration ticket in 2013. He returned to the BJP in 2023 however misplaced the meeting election to Kumaraswamy.
“Despite shifting from one get together to a different, Yogeshwar’s largest plus level is his stable maintain over 40,000 to 45,000 votes within the Channapatna constituency. That is what makes him essential regardless of the various hats he has worn through the years,” a senior Congress chief advised News18.
Shivakumar additionally recalled how Yogeshwar had labored with the JD(S) to help the NDA candidate within the Lok Sabha elections. “Political equations have modified, and therefore he has come again to the Congress get together,” Shivakumar mentioned.
Within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Channapatna was one meeting phase within the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha seat the place DK Suresh secured 84,000 votes whereas contesting in opposition to the BJP candidate and Kumaraswamy’s brother-in-law, Dr CN Manjunath. Nonetheless, Suresh trailed behind Dr Manjunath within the Channapatna phase by virtually 16,000 votes.
The mixed energy of Shivakumar and Yogeshwar on this Vokkaliga-dominated constituency is now anticipated to extend strain on Kumaraswamy.
Regardless of the controversies, Yogeshwar managed to show the tide by leveraging his deep reference to Channapatna’s voters and the Congress’s development-focused narrative. His grassroots outreach and Congress’s strategic help in the end secured a hard-fought victory, shaking the JD(S)’s grip on its conventional stronghold.
- Location :
Channapatna, India
