Bypolls in Karnataka: Different stories emerge from the Bagalkot battleground

As the bypoll fever rises along with the ambient temperature in Bagalkot, different stories seem to emerge from the camps of the BJP and the Congress. While a batch of senior Congress leaders are busy campaigning for Umesh Hullappa Meti, the party nominee, it seems that Veeranna Charantimath, the BJP candidate, is isolated and largely left to fend for himself.

The image of Mr. Charantimath as a short-tempered leader against Mr. Umesh Meti, who is seen as soft spoken and approachable, seems to have focused the campaign on individuals rather than parties.

Mr. Charantimath’s primary political opponent is his younger brother Mallikarjun Charantimath, a Congress leader. Mr. Mallikarjun Charantimath had fought the 2023 elections as an Independent and gained over 10,000 votes. Hullappa Yamanappa Meti of the Congress won that election with a margin of around 5,800 votes. A few months later, Mr. Mallikarjun Charantimath joined the Congress.

After the bypolls were announced, there were rumours on social media that he was planning to join the BJP. But he countered them. He said that several BJP leaders, from Bagalkot and Bengaluru, had contacted him and asked him to join the BJP.

“No BJP leader has met me till now. They do not have the moral courage to meet me. They are only making phone calls and inviting me to join the BJP. My question to them is regarding the time of their invitation,” he told reporters in Bagalkot recently. He was present when Mr. Umesh Meti filed his nominations and has been active in the Congress campaign.

Other senior BJP leaders with local influence like Murugesh Nirani, former Minister, and Basavaraj Katageri, former chairman of the Bagalkot City Municipal Council, are yet to join Mr. Charantimath’s campaign. Some leaders like P.H. Pujar, former MLA, and Hanumant Nirani, MLC, are seen in public rallies. They are also campaigning in parts of the city, but they are not seen along with the party nominee.

When reporters asked Mr. Charantimath about the absence of some leaders in his campaign, he said he would not invite anyone to support him. “Only those who are genuinely interested in the party’s victory will join the campaign without asking,” he said.

“Mr. Charantimath has served as our MLA three times in the past. But he failed to take everyone along. He focused on a few of his loyalists, his education society, and his cooperative society. This alienated him further,” said a senior BJP leader, who has served as a zilla panchayat member.

Mr. Charantimath’s long standing friendship with expelled BJP leader Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal is no secret. On the day the BJP announced its nominees, Mr. Yatnal said he would camp in Bagalkot for a week and campaign for his friend. Not everyone in the BJP camp believes that Mr. Yatnal’s presence will help the party. They feel it would damage the campaign and embarrass the party, as Mr. Yatnal is known to insult and ridicule party State president B.Y. Vijayendra and his father B.S. Yediyurappa.

As if on cue, Mr. Charantimath responded to queries by reporters, saying he had not invited Mr. Yatnal, but he had heard him volunteer to campaign for him.