Kichcha Sudeepa, a renowned Kannada actor, will be supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by campaigning for them in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections. This move is expected to provide a boost to the ruling party as they attempt to hold on to power in the state.
Sudeepa has expressed his admiration and support for Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who he affectionately refers to as his "mama" (uncle). However, Sudeepa has made it clear that he has no intentions of entering politics himself.
“I call the CM ‘Mama’ (uncle’ as I have seen him since my childhood. I have very few people who stood by me since childhood, so it won’t be wrong to call him Mama (uncle). I didn’t have a godfather when I entered the film industry. I want to extend my support to him (CM)," the actor said in a press conference on Wednesday. He was joined by CM Bommai.
The Kannada actor has categorically denied any plans to run for the Karnataka elections. Furthermore, he has clarified that he is not lobbying for his close aide and producer Manju to receive a ticket either.
Sudeepa has been flirting with political parties
This, however, is not the first instance of Sudeepa being seen in proximity with politicians. Though this comes as the first occasion when he'd campaign for any political party, there had been similar speculations made about him after he met leaders of Congress and JD(S) before polls.
Ahead of the 2018 assembly polls, Sudeepa was invited to the residence of JD(S) President HD Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha in Bengaluru, where they had discussions. According to sources within the party, while Sudeep refused Kumaraswamy's proposal to run for the elections on a JD(S) ticket, he did offer to support and campaign with JD(S) candidates in several constituencies, particularly in the Chitradurga and Davangere regions.
Sudeepa had also met Siddramaiah ahead of 2018 assembly elections.
Following his meeting with Karnataka Congress President D K Shivakumar on February 17 this year, speculation about the actor's potential entry into politics began to circulate. However, he downplayed the rumors and stated that he would need to take several factors into account before making a decision, including the opinions of his fans.
Sudeepa is reputed for his amicable connections with politicians from various political factions. There have been multiple reports of leaders from all political parties chasing Sudeepa to join their parties during last two assembly election campaigns.
Caste, not the 'star' they want
Why do all political parties want Sudeepa on their side? The normal answer to the question would be that he enjoys fan following across the state and it would help him pull votes across party lines.
However, Kichcha Sudeepa's caste is an important factor that could not be ignored in the run up to the high-intensity election in the southern state.
Sudeepa commands a considerable following in central Karnataka, particularly among the ST community, as he himself belongs to the Nayaka tribe, which is classified as ST.
Nayaka, popularly known by Palegar, Beda, Valmiki, and Ramoshi Parivara are found all over the State but they are concentrated in the Chitradurga, Shimoga, Bellary and Tumkur districts. Their population is 32,96,354.
As per reports, the Nayaka community is the largest among the approximately 52 tribes in Karnataka. In Karnataka, there are 15 Assembly constituencies reserved for STs and 36 seats for SCs.
Last October, in an attempt to woo the community, the BJP government had announced an increase in reservations for SC/STs, with the state Cabinet unanimously agreeing to raise the quota for SCs to 17% (from 15%) and for STs to 7% (from 3%). The move was announced on the eve of Valmiki Jayanti.
ED, IT pressure behind Sudeepa siding with BJP: Congress
Congress was quick to hit out at the BJP after Sudeepa's press conference. The INC hinted at an alleged 'ED-IT' pressure on the actor to side with the saffron party.
Randeep Surjewala, taking to Twitter, wrote: "A Film Star is free to choose whom to support, sometimes by IT-ED or otherwise. Bankruptcy of BJP in Karnataka is clear. As no one turns up to listen to CM Bommai & BJP leaders, they now rely upon Film Stars to draw crowd. People, not Film Stars, will decide fate of Karnataka."
Will Sudeepa help BJP sail through tough terrain?
Karnataka assembly elections, scheduled for May 10, are being considered a litmus test for the BJP. The polls are also a gateway for both the BJP and opposition to make inroads in South India ahead of 2024 general elections.
With Kichcha Sudeepa's immense popularity, and BJP's caste equations, it will be interesting to see if the saffron party is able to make a comeback, in a state where it has been accused of corruption and faces anti-incumbency.
If BJP manages to sail through by scoring well in Chitradurga, Shimoga, Bellary and Tumkur, the credit for the same will go to Sudeepa. But if it does not happen, Sudeepa's cautious approach for several years in joining or supporting political parties will not bear any fruit and his decision will come back to haunt him.
