She wears a brand new white kurta-pyjama with a dark brown waistcoat. She speaks flawless English. She is surrounded more by her family members than party workers. The scorching sun has left her tired but she is smiling, like her late father. She has all the etiquette and patience of her father.

Mamtha Nichani, daughter of late chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde, Congress candidate for Ramanagara constituency is taking on none other than the giant in politics – H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S). She is a new entrant to politics unlike her opponent. But Kumaraswamy does not consider her as his opponent. But both are not into bad mouthing each other.

On Wednesday when Kumaraswamy was busy in taking out padayatra in hoblis, Mamtha hosted a lunch for journalists of Ramanagara in Kamat Lokaruchi. From there, she left to Tumkur to meet Sri Shivakumar Swamji of Siddaganaga Math before announcing that she would be campaigning in Harohalli in the afternoon.

Father is role model

At lunch she spoke to Deccan Herald. To a comment that she takes after her father a lot, she became emotional, “My dad believed in value based politics. That is what I am going to adopt in public life. I don’t want to spend money to lure voters and can I ever match the money power of my opponent?

She has already toured half of the constituency. She has positioned herself as Hegde’s daughter, besides a Congress candidate. A request has been made to Sonia Gandhi to visit Ramangara. Isn’t she too sophisticated to contest from a rural constituency? “Yes... I am an urbanite. I speak English. But those are not the issues on which I am being judged. I am here to fight and I will do it”.

On what issues she is taking on her opponent Kumaraswamy?  She says, “He is an experienced politician. But after travelling across Ramangara, I realised that he has done very little in villages. The development has been concentrated only in the headquarters. Many women told me that they want a woman to represent them and I can understand them better. I am really surprised at the response I am getting”.

She is positive about support from he Party. S M Krishna, Kharge, D K Shivakumar and C M Lingappa are all with me, she says.

By how much margin does she expect to win?  She replies thoughtfully, “I have not calculated. If God will.... my dad’s spirit is with me”.

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It’s an election campaign of a different kind: He doesn’t seek votes, but enquires about people’s well-being. He has given a go-bye to the cardiologists’ advice to take care of himself. For him only one logic is working – take out padayatra, meet his voters and say namaste. Former CM H D Kumaraswamy is campaigning for himself at his home turf Ramanagara.

“Are you getting your old-age pension? Is there any problem?” Let me know,” he tells octogenarian Gowramma by holding her hand at Jaipura village, some 5 kms from Ramanagara district headquarters, around 1 pm.

An elated Gowramma simply nods with a smile and puts her hand on his head. “Kumarannange jai,” comes a chorus suddenly from a group of villagers who would have assembled by that time. As he takes a few steps forward, women folk in the neighbourhood take out aarati and put a dot of vermilion on his forehead. He takes our a Rs 100 note from his Colour Plus blue shirt and place it on Gowramma’s hand as part of the offering to the arathi plate.

The same scene prevails in almost all villages of Gopalapura, Gunjaraj Doddi, Sannabasawadi Doddi, Vydarahalli and others where Deccan Herald travelled along with him on Wednesday.

Non-stop Jaithra Yatre

And he goes on non-stop. His Ford SUV is followed by two police cars, a car of Election Observers and the JD (S) party bus in which HDK went on Jaitra Yatre.

Occasionally he sips water but all the time keeps wiping his face with a towel. He brings no food from home despite being on a vegetarian diet. He eats mudde bassaru offered by villagers.
His field work begins at 9 am and ends late in the evening. Come what may, he returns to his JP Nagar home in the evening.

On Wednesday, he covered the whole of Kilancha hobli of the constituency, comprising around 60 villages. The Ramanagara assembly segment has four hoblies -- Kilancha, Harohalli, Ramanagara and Malwadi. He has covered Ramanagara hobli on Tuesday.

He has very tight schedule being a star campaigner of the Party. He began his padayatra campaign on Tuesday and concluded it on Wednesday. As he has always been well connected with his people, he can offered to skip visiting his constituency. But he is taking no chances and has visited many hoblis for five to ten minutes. On Thursday, he all set to tour Mandya. Ask him whether it is enough to campaign for only two days, pat comes the answer: “I need not seek votes. I have become part of every family in Ramanagara. They know who had done what and whom should they bless in the elections.”

A patient hearing

Unlike other candidates, Kumaraswamy doesn’t distribute pamphlets to voters or give assurances or makes speeches on his achievements. Instead, he patiently listens to their problems.

When a villager said that his promotion in veterinary department has been held up, he immediately called an official and asked him to look into the case.