Muniyappa faces uphill task of transferring JD(S) votes to himself to win Kolar: BJP's Muniswamy
Kolar, Apr 16: BJP's greenhorn S Muniswamy said Tuesday he will be able to defeat veteran Congress parliamentarian K H Muniyappa from Kolar Lok Sabha constituency as they are locked in a direct contest and it would be difficult for JD(S) to transfer its core votes to its alliance partner.
Muniswamy, a BBMP corporator from Bengaluru, is banking on a possible discontent among voters with the seven-time Congress parliamentarian, Muniyappa, and on the performance of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre.
The issue of the closed Bharat Gold Mines Limited is also a factor in the election.
The BJP leader claimed people in the constituency, an SC seat, are unhappy with Muniyappa because he has failed to fulfil the promises he made to them during the past 28 years, including to sort out the PSU's long-pending issues.
Also, he added, Muniyappa "faces an uphill task" of transferring the votes that were cornered by JD(S) and other smaller parties in a three-way contest in 2014 polls to himself.
There were nearly 15 lakh voters registered in Kolar during the last general election and Muniyappa beat the JD(S) candidate by receiving 37.20 per cent of the total votes cast then. The constituency had seen a 75.51 per cent voter turnout in 2014.
"Though Muniyappa won Kolar in last election, he lost six lakh votes in a three-way contest between Congress, BJP and JD(S). Due to JD(S)-Congress coalition seat-sharing formula, there is a straight fight between Congress and BJP.
Generally, BJP wins two-way or straight fights, Muniswamy told PTI in an exclusive interview during his campaign in Chintamani on the last day of campaigning for the seat.
Kolar will vote on April 18.
"In every election, Muniyappa promises to reopen the closed Bharat Gold Mines Ltd (BGML), but he does not fulfil it. Also, he has not done enough to solve the water problem (in the area). Yettinahole project is still incomplete. People are angry and have decided to vote Muniyappa out," he asserted.
BGML was closed in March 2001 and a few years later the Union Cabinet decided to dispose of assets and liabilities of the company. But the matter is stuck because of litigations.
And Yettinahole Integrated Drinking Water Project proposes to supply 24.01 tmcft of water from Yettinahole, a stream, to drought-prone Kolar district and others in the region.
Sudhakar Reddy, a former Congress MLA and popular leader in Kolar, said Muniyappa has not done anything for the district, but promoted his daughter during the last assembly election.
Muniswamy said the response for BJP's rallies and roadshows have been tremendous because of Modi government's performance, which has worked for the betterment of all sections of society with "Sab Ka Saath, Sabka Vikas" slogan.
"You must have seen the kind of response we are getting in rallies. There is an unabated 'Modi Modi' chant. There is Modi wave. Nobody can deny it. Nobody chants for a failed leader. He has done enough for all communities. People have made up their mind to vote Modi back to power," he said.
Muniyappa, the Congress candidate, is facing rebels from Kothur Manjunath and H Nagesh. Even Reddy shared a stage with the rebel leaders at the public rally recently.
Muniyappa however clarified that all the MLAs except Manjunath are supporting him.
"Congress is a large party and there will be differences, but everything has been resolved," he said.
The Congress candidate is banking on UPA's policies and his party president Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress has lost Kolar seat only once since 1977, when the general election was held for the first time when it became a part of Karnataka state.
Jayaprasad MG of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Ashok Chakravarthi MB of the Ambedkar Samaj Party are prominent names who are also in the fray from Kolar.
The constituency has a significant number of SC community voters. Vokkaligas, Kuruba, minority communities and Tamil-Telugu speaking sections, can tilt the balance.
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Rohit identifies Arshdeep, Hardik as key to India's chances in T20 World Cup
New Delhi (PTI): T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma reckons all-rounder Hardik Pandya and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh will hold the key to India's prospects in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
Defending champions India will enter the T20 showpiece as one of the overwhelming favourites due to their massive depth and quality.
Rohit highlighted Arshdeep's effectiveness with the new ball and at the death.
"It is a big positive to have both Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh together because they always attack for wickets. Arshdeep's biggest strength is swinging the new ball and taking early wickets. He mainly bowls with the new ball and at the death. Starting and finishing are the most important phases, and he is strong in both," Rohit told JioHotstar.
"With the new ball, he swings it to get left-handers caught in the slips and targets the pads of right-handers. He has also started taking the ball away from right-handers. These skills are key for a new-ball bowler. He always tries to take wickets, which is why he bowls the first over."
Rohit added, "In the 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa, he did a great job. I still remember he dismissed Quinton de Kock when he was set and batting well. In the 19th over, he gave away just two or three runs, which built pressure on the South Africans.
"That is his game, bowling with the new ball and at the death, and he will play a key role for India in the 2026 T20 World Cup."
India won the last edition of the tournament in the Americas under Rohit's captaincy, after which the dashing opener retired from the T20 format internationally.
Rohit also spoke about how Hardik's dual role as a finisher and multi-phase bowler provides crucial balance to the Indian team.
"Whenever Hardik Pandya is in the team, his role is huge. He bats and bowls very consistently. His batting is crucial when the team is stuck. If we have a score of 160 on the board in 15-16 overs and Hardik is batting, then he's the one who can help the team reach 210-220 from there or if we are 50 for 4, he has to build the innings.
"Batting in the middle order at 5, 6, or 7 is very tough. That is why Hardik's role is critical in any format. We know his bowling. He bowls in key phases, with the new ball, in the middle and in the death as well. His role is very important because he gives the team balance, letting us play six bowlers and keep our batting deep."
Rohit said accommodating both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy together in the playing XI is going to be a big challenge for the Indian team management.
"The biggest challenge for captain Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir will be how to play both Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy together. If you want that combination, you can only do it if you play with two seamers, which is a big challenge.
"But honestly, I would be tempted to play both Varun and Kuldeep because they are wicket-takers and batters struggle to read them. I would surely pick them."
The former India skipper added, "Looking at the conditions in India, like in this New Zealand series, there is a lot of dew. In February and March, dew will be heavy across most parts as winter ends.
"Even in Mumbai, which doesn't get cold, there's still dew. I'd say 90-95 percent of grounds in India have dew. That's the challenge. What do the coach and captain think? Are they comfortable with three spinners? Then they can play spin, but there's no fixed rule. It depends on the team leaders' thinking."
Rohit also urged Kuldeep to stop appealing on every ball and to rely on the wicketkeeper's judgment for reviews.
"My one simple advice to Kuldeep is to just bowl quietly and go back to his mark. You can't appeal on every ball. This is basic. I keep saying it, but it still happens often. Even after telling him many times, he appeals at every chance. You have to use your head. Just because it touches the pad, it doesn't mean it's out every time. This isn't gully cricket.
"I get he is enthusiastic, but think of the team first. Each team only gets two DRS reviews. If I was the keeper, I could see where the ball pitched and if it was hitting, I could tell the bowler.
"But from covers or slip, you don't know the angle. You have to listen to what the keeper and bowler say. That's why when there's a review off Kuldeep's bowling, I don't look at him, I look at the keeper to decide."
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in venues across India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
