‘Fight between parties, not family members’

Elder son Kumar Bangarappa, 45, a two time Congress MLA and a minister in the S.M. Krishna government, is fighting his younger brother and their father’s favourite Madhu Bangarappa, 42, who is contesting on a ticket of the Samajwadi Party, father Bangarappa’s current political sanctuary.

Both Bangarappa kids drew large crowds at their biggest election rally on Monday as the election heat in this keenly watched district rose. While the younger son naturally had his father—who heli hopped into Soraba for the first campaign—by his side, the elder was leaning on former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna.

At the two separate campaigns—held within three hours and 200 metres of each other—in the tiny town of Anahatti in Soraba taluk, neither brother nor their father figures attacked each other.

With just 16 days of campaigning to his credit, Madhu Bangarappa managed 34,000 votes, losing to Kumar by 11,000 votes. The electoral novice got votes solely on the strength of his father’s fame and the sway he holds over their backward caste community of Idigas that is spread over many parts of Karnataka but concentrated in Shimoga district.

This time, father Bangarappa has had little time to canvass for his younger son or for himself—he is up against BJP’s chief ministerial candidate B.S. Yeddyurappa in the neighboring Shikharipura constituency. He has been canvassing for SP candidates in some carefully chosen constituencies around Shimoga.

“Three days is enough for us to campaign. The people are with us,” he says when asked about his delayed appearance for campaigning for himself and his younger son. A fourth day of campaigning was held on Tuesday when SP leaders Amar Singh and Jaya Prada were flown into Shikharipura.

About his younger son, Bangarappa said, “He is not raw anymore, he is not dependent on me, he can now stand on his own...I don’t think he lost last time. To me it was a victory,” he says.

“The people here have given me a place equal...