Barred entry into Dharwad, Vinay Kulkarni's wife, daughter slug it out as campaign heats up
Dharwad (PTI): The fight in Dharwad is not limited to the Assembly elections where women of the house are battling it out by turning the polls into a fight for justice.
Barred from entering Dharwad district, Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni's wife and daughter are going door-to-door to convince voters, while he himself camps on the periphery of the constituency to support his family pursuing his campaign through social media.
Being accused and out on bail in connection with the murder of Zila Panchayat member Yogeesh Gowda, Kulkarni is not allowed to enter Dharwad district as per a Supreme Court order. Though he tried to get a respite from this restriction, citing the elections, the High Court struck down his request recently.
Kulkarni -- a former minister for Mines and Geology -- has won twice from this seat, once as an independent (in 2004) and again on a Congress ticket (2013), while the BJP has won twice.
Speaking to PTI, his wife Shivaleela said, "My husband is staying out of the constituency for almost three years now. When we lost the support of friends and relatives because of the case, I decided to stand up and spearhead the campaign all alone."
In the last few elections, she was not actively engaged in poll activities, now the entire family has taken it up as a challenge. Shivaleela is busy in the door-to-door campaign and holding rallies in the constituency keeping a cutout of her husband.
"I am trying to meet a number of maximum people face-to-face and convince them to vote for our party. The public response has been good so far," she said and exuded confidence that her husband will win the election with a good margin.
Shivaleela, who has never given public speeches and held any position in the party, is slogging it out along with her children in the crucial 'do or die' campaign for the family.
"I feel the pressure because there is too much attention on us as dad is not in the constituency," said Kulkarni's 25-year old daughter Vaishali who had to skip her semester LLB exams to help her family in the electioneering.
Vaishali along with her younger brother have taken the responsibility of setting up a route of LED vans and facilitate her father's live interaction besides managing distribution of campaign material like pamphlets.
"My father is not tech savvy but he has now learnt how to make video calls and send locations on WhatsApp. He is managing well so far," Vaishali said and added some people themselves go outside the constituency to meet my father to put forth their grievances.
So far, none of the senior Congress leaders have come for campaigning here. "We are managing on our own," she added.
Praising her wife and children's efforts, Kulkarni -- campaigning outside the constituency -- criticised the BJP for harassment meted out to him and the family in carrying out the election campaign.
"They are troubling us for using social media. Our vehicles and followers are tracked. Income Tax raids are conducted on our close associates. All tactics are being used to put pressure and defeat me in this election," he said.
Kulkarni, however, said he will easily win from this seat as he is banking on strong anti-incumbency and Lingayats' votes to defeat sitting BJP MLA Amrut Desai.
There are 2.17 lakh voters in Dharwad Assembly constituency and Lingayats votes are dominant and are the deciding factor. No party or candidate has held this seat successively since 1983.
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UDF leaders see local body poll trends as pointer to 2026 Assembly elections in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Buoyed by the strong performance of the Congress-led UDF in the local body polls, KPCC president Sunny Joseph said on Saturday that the front's results indicated the people had rejected the LDF government.
According to early trends, the UDF was leading in more grama panchayats, block panchayats, municipalities and corporations than the LDF.
The local body polls were held in two phases in the state earlier this week.
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Speaking to reporters here, Joseph said the people of Kerala had extended their support to the UDF.
"We could expose the LDF government’s anti-people stance and the people understood it. The LDF’s fake propaganda was rejected by the people. The UDF is moving towards a historic victory," he said.
He said a united effort, proper preparations, good candidate selection and hard work had resulted in the Congress and the UDF’s victory in the elections.
Asked about the prospects in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Joseph said the party was studying the matter and would comment later.
LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan said the results would be closely examined.
According to him, the government had done everything possible for the people.
"Why such a verdict happened will be examined at the micro level. People’s opinion will be considered and further steps will be taken," he said.
He added that decisions would be taken after analysing the results. "If any corrective measures are required, we will initiate them and move forward," he said.
AICC leader K C Venugopal said the results showed that people had begun ousting those who, he alleged, were responsible for the loss of gold at Lord Ayyappa’s temple.
"This trend will continue in the Assembly elections as well. It is an indication that the people are ready to bring down the LDF government," he said.
Venugopal said the UDF had registered victories even in CPI(M) and LDF strongholds.
"I congratulate all UDF workers for their hard work. Congress workers and leaders worked unitedly," he said.
Referring to remarks made by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the Congress on polling day, Venugopal said the voters had responded through the verdict.
"I do not know whether the chief minister understands that the people are against him. Otherwise, he does not know the sentiment of the people. The state government cannot move an inch further," he said.
He said the results indicated a strong comeback for the UDF in Kerala.
Asked whether the Sabarimala gold loss issue had affected the LDF in the local polls, Venugopal said the CM and the CPI(M) state secretary did not take the issue seriously.
"We took a strong stand on the matter. The BJP played a foul game in it," he alleged.
On the BJP's role in the local body elections, Venugopal alleged that the party operated with the CPI(M) 's tacit support.
"The CPI(M) supported the central government on issues such as PM-SHRI, labour codes and corruption in national highway construction. The CPI(M) is facing ideological decline, and the state government’s policies are against the party’s own decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, LDF ally Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani said the party could not win all the wards it had expected in the elections.
He congratulated winners from all parties and said the party would closely examine the losses and identify shortcomings. "Later, we will take corrective measures," he added.
Senior Congress leader and MP Rajmohan Unnithan said the trends in the local body elections indicated that the UDF would return to power in the 2026 Assembly elections.
"We will win 111 seats as in 1977 and return to power in 2026. The anti-government sentiment of the people is reflected in the elections," he said.
Unnithan said the people were disturbed and unhappy with the present government.
"The trend indicates the end of the LDF government," he added.
CPI(M) MLA M M Mani said the people had shown ingratitude towards the LDF despite benefiting from welfare schemes.
"After receiving all welfare schemes and living comfortably, people voted against us due to some temporary sentiments. Is that not ingratitude," he asked.
Mani said no such welfare initiatives had taken place in Kerala earlier.
"People are receiving pensions and have enough to eat. Even after getting all this, they voted against us. This is what can be called ingratitude," he said.
Muslim League state president Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said the results were beyond expectations.
"The outcome points towards the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, indicating that a change of government is imminent. We are going to win the Assembly election," he said.
