The May 28 election to the Periyapatna Assembly constituency in Mysore has become a matter of prestige for the Congress, which has come to power on its own in the State after a long time.
As Mr. Siddaramaiah hails from the district, a win in Periyapatna will further strengthen his image.
His confidant and the former Minister K. Venkatesh is seeking re-election from the constituency on the Congress ticket.
The outcome of the polls in the segment will no doubt be watched closely. It remains to be seen if Mr. Siddaramaiah’s charisma will let the party increase its tally of seats to 122. On the other hand, both Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular) are working towards capturing the Periyapatna seat to become the main Opposition in the Legislative Assembly.
According to the Election Commission’s direction, the counting of votes will be held on May 31. The model code of conduct is in force only in Periyapatna, and the campaigning ends at 6 p.m. on May 26.
Mr. Siddaramaiah headed for Periyapatna on Monday to campaign for the party candidate. “Victory is ours,” he declared, while chatting with presspersons here on Monday. He went in a private car to campaign in the constituency.
The former Chief Minister and State JD(S) president H.D. Kumaraswamy has already finished one round of campaigning in Periyapatna for the party candidate, K. Mahadev.
