'Congress cash went to BJP voters in Tumkur'

The Congress gave cash to its leaders to lure voters toward JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, but they diverted the money to garner votes for the BJP candidate in the Tumkur Lok Sabha constituency, the party’s Tumakuru unit has revealed in its report to the high command.

Gowda’s shocking loss to BJP’s GS Basavaraju was the result of internal sabotage, Tumakuru District Congress Committee president R Ramakrishna has concluded in a report addressed to AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal.

Basavaraju defeated Gowda, a former prime minister, by 13,339 votes.

Ramakrishna has named former Madhugiri legislator K N Rajanna, Youth Congress vice-president R Rajendra, gram panchayat members G J Rajanna, Chowdappa, Shantala Rajanna, Manjula Adinarayanareddy among others, accusing them of distributing cash to voters and getting them to vote for the BJP candidate.

This is the reason, Ramakrishna has stated, why the BJP gained a lead over Gowda in the Madhugiri Assembly constituency, where he pointed out the saffron party had polled just about 2,500 votes in the Assembly polls last year. “Even the money given by the Congress party was distributed to BJP voters, resulting in the BJP getting 72,909 votes (in Madhugiri),” Ramakrishna has stated.

The party’s district unit prepared the post-poll report based on visits to Assembly segments and information received from local leaders, citizens and block presidents. “In Tumakuru district, the BJP gained leads wherever there was a deficit in coordination between Congress and JD(S) workers,” he stated.

The fight in the Tumkur Lok Sabha segment was hailed as a contest between two dominant communities — Lingayats and Vokkaligas. While Basavaraju is a Lingayat, a community traditionally identified with the BJP, Gowda is arguably the tallest Vokkaliga leader in the state, a community that the JD(S) identifies as its core base.

Ramakrishna also blamed Congress’ former Tumkur MP SP Muddahanumegowda, the incumbent who was denied the ticket as the seat was ceded to the JD(S). “Despite knowing that the seat had been conceded to the JD(S), Muddahanumegowda and Rajanna filed their nomination as independents, creating confusion among party workers. Then, dramatically, they withdrew their nomination and prevented their followers from working for the (coalition) candidate,” he stated.

That Muddahanumegowda showed little interest in campaigning for Gowda is another reason why the BJP gained a lead, the party’s district unit has said.