The constituency will go to the third phase of voting on May 7 and the results will be announced on June 4.
Davanagere is one of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, which consists of 8 constituencies spread across Devanajere and Vijayanagar districts
Davanagere is one of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, which consists of 8 constituencies spread over the Devanajere and Vijaynagara districts. The parliamentary segment includes Jajjar (Congress), Harapanahalli (Independent), Harihar (BJP), Davanagere North (Congress), Davanagere South (Congress Party), Mayakonda (Congress Party), Channagiri (Congress Party) and Hunali (Congress Party). The current MP is GM Siddeshwara of the Bharatiya Janata Party, while the candidates for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are Gayathri Siddeshwar (BJP), Prabha Mallikarjun (Congress) and Vinay Kumar GB (Independent). The constituency will hold the third phase of voting on May 7, and the results will be announced on June 4.
political dynamics
- What the BJP thinks about development and Modi: The BJP has occupied the Davanagere Lok Sabha constituency since 1999. This time, the BJP has entrusted the responsibility of winning the seat to his wife Gayathri Siddeshwara. Davanagere can be said to be a bastion of the BJP and no party has been able to breach it since the 1999 Lok Sabha polls. However, when we look at the parliamentary constituencies, we see that Congress has MLAs in six of them. In the 2023 assembly elections, the BJP can win only one assembly constituency – Harihar. Harappanahalli, meanwhile, was won by an independent candidate. The Congress was victorious in all other respects. This gives the Grand Old Party confidence in its prospects in the upcoming elections. On the ground, voters are happy with the BJP’s vision for development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship schemes like providing housing, piped water and electricity connections, free ration, LPG connections, health insurance and other basic amenities have benefited people to a great extent.
- Challenges facing the BJP: However, the BJP too has to face the same problem. First, the party is rebutting allegations that one family has dominated Davanagere politics for decades, that of Gayathri Siddeshwara. Her husband has been an MP since 2004, while her father-in-law G Mallikarjunappa represented the constituency from 1996 to 1998 and 1999 to 2004. Gayathri Siddeshwara’s decision sparked outrage among the people. The trio even organized a protest rally raising slogans against Gayathri Siddeshwara, following which the rebels demanded a change of candidate from the BJP high command. It was BS Yediyurappa’s intervention that brought order to the splintered situation in the BJP. A team of BJP leaders, including Yediyurappa, a member of the parliamentary committee, managed to quell the rebellion in the party’s areas after a three-hour meeting on March 26. It is estimated that there are more than 50,000 new voters in the constituency, most of them young people. The constituency is inhabited by an equal number of Veerashiva-Lingayats and Kurubas, followed by Valmiki Nayakas, Muslims, Dalits, Upparas, Devangas and other communities. For the saffron party, ensuring the consolidation of Hindu voters is crucial. As always, the Lingayat vote remains crucial for the BJP.
- Congress hopes for the best: The Congress party was buoyed by its victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections last year. Apart from this, the Congress also won six assembly segments in Davanagere. This appears to have given the party confidence that it has a chance of defeating the BJP. On the ground, Congress is firing on all cylinders. While the race itself may be close, the congressional races appear to be more compelling and compelling. The Congress is attacking the BJP because its saffron candidate Gayathri Siddeshwara happens to belong to a powerful family that has been involved in and virtually dominated the politics of the region for decades. Ironically, the Congress party’s own candidate Prabha Mallikarjun also comes from an influential political family. In fact, there are also family connections between the BJP and Congress candidates. Prabha Mallikarjun’s husband SS Mallikarjun is a minister in the Congress government in the state.
- Rebellion in the ranks: While the internal fighting in the BJP appears to have subsided, the insurgency faced by the Congress is far more serious and promises to undermine the party’s prospects on polling day. The decision to field Prabha Mallikarjun did not go down well with some Congress leaders, especially Vinay Kumar GB. Vinay Kumar is a budding politician from the constituency and the founder of Insights IAS. He has built a strong base among young voters. For the Congress party, Vinay Kumar is a thorn in the road of victory in Davanagere. As an independent candidate, he is expected to lead to a significant drop in Congress’ vote share. Vinay Kumar GB hopes Davanagere’s Congress ticket will go to him. However, with Prabha Mallikarjun being fielded, Vinay Kumar was furious and felt that the decision not to field him had a lot to do with him not having a family member as a state cabinet minister . This is why despite repeated attempts by Congress and intervention by Siddaramaiah himself, Vinay Kumar could not be persuaded to withdraw his nomination. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and Davangere South constituency MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa made very objectionable remarks against the BJP candidate. Addressing a meeting of party workers, Shivashankarappa belittled Sideshwara’s qualifications, claiming she lacked the ability to effectively address public issues. He added that “they only know how to cook in the kitchen,” which is anathema to women in general.
The key question
- Demand for airports: The people of Davanagere have been demanding the construction of an airport here for some time to improve the connectivity of the constituency with other parts of the state and the country at large. Last year, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai revealed that five new airports were being constructed at Shivamogga, Vijayapura, Hassan, Raichur and Karwar. He also said that the feasibility study of Davanagere and Koppal airports has been completed. However, it remains to be seen what further progress will be made in the development of the two airports. As a result, voters in Davanagere are yet to see one of their biggest demands met. Importantly, Davanagere is known as the “Manchester of Karnataka”. Local people are baffled as to why, despite such a big tag, the constituency has yet to get its own airport.
- Special Economic Zone: Voters in Davanagere also want to see a special economic zone established in their constituency. In the past, the constituency was known as the “industrial hub” of Karnataka. In recent years, however, the hub has lost its luster. Most factories in the area, including the Anjaneya Cotton Mill, are closed. It is hoped that with the establishment of SEZs, industries will be motivated to settle in the constituencies.
- Unemployment and immigration: The outflow of industry from Davanagere has exacerbated the already dire unemployment situation here. Due to the lack of employment opportunities, people are forced to look for work elsewhere in the state and country.
- Citizenship Questions: There is also a desire to improve municipal infrastructure in Davanagere. While the education sector appears to be well established, there is a growing need for improved health infrastructure in the constituency. In addition, there are complaints about uneven progress in development. For example, the charges allege that while Davanagere South is experiencing substantial development, Davanagere North is not. Likewise, there are concerns that border areas of constituencies are being neglected.
- Hinduism: With the Karnataka government including Muslims under the OBC category, polarization in the religious community is expected to accelerate. The BJP hopes the accusation that the Congress is a Muslim-first party will win electoral dividends for them. Meanwhile, the inauguration of the Ram temple and the BJP’s image as rooted in Sanatan culture are expected to boost the party’s prospects. There’s also “love jihad” – a movement the BJP has been vehemently opposed to in recent times.
- develop: The clear consensus among the people of Davanagere is that they want to see significant development momentum across the constituency. This is expected to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has recently associated itself almost exclusively with development and the idea of ”Viksit Bharat”. When Davanagere goes to the polls, development will be one of the deciding factors.
develop
- Vande Bharat and Railway Jobs: From 2023, Davanagere is connected to Vande Bharat Express. Meanwhile, in March, the state government approved allocation of Rs 500 million for railway projects on the Tumakuru-Davangere route. The Tumakuru-Davangere railway project, which will connect Tumakuru to central Karnataka, is very important from the state’s development perspective and will help accelerate the development of parts of north Karnataka. Commuting speed.
- Software Technology Park: In 2022, the Karnataka government (then the Bharatiya Janata Party) announced the establishment of a Software Technology Park India (STPI) center in the regional headquarters town of Davanagere. The 10,000-square-foot center features plug-and-play 102-seat incubation facilities, a network operations center, 16 conference rooms, high-speed data communication facilities and other amenities and services. In the same year, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar inaugurated the Digital India Innovation Center at STPI Center in Davanagere.
- Six-lane highway: In 2023, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the six-lane national highway project between Chitradurga and Davangere, which is expected to speed up connectivity between the two towns in Karnataka. The 72-km-long national highway will cost Rs 1,400 crore and will be built using sustainable methods. Work on the project is said to be ongoing.
Demographics
Total number of voters: 16,34,472
SC voters: 328,529 (20.1%)
ST voters: 194,502 (11.9%)
Rural voters: 1,098,365 (67.2%)
Urban voters: 536,107 (32.8%)
Muslim: 275,887 (16.9%)
2019 General Election Voter Turnout: 73%
Check out the 2024 Lok Sabha election third phase schedule, main candidates and constituencies: news18 website.
