Shimoga : For the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is contesting from Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency as Bharatiya Janata Party candidate, campaigning for elections is not a mechanical exercise. “A matured politician should consider campaigning as a good opportunity to interact with the common people and to understand their problems. I don’t bother much about the result,” he says.

An early riser, he never misses his 45-minute morning walk. After taking a bath, he spends 20 minutes in puja and meditation. Before leaving for campaigning, he speaks to party activists who are waiting in the living room.

“The BJP has a strong cadre base in Shimoga district. I have toiled for nearly 40 years to build the party, and my hard work has yielded rich dividends. The electioneering is not a one-man show but teamwork. I am just leading the team. The BJP activists have already been to all the houses in the constituency,” he said.

When he visits Begur village, the ‘dollu kunitha’ artistes welcome him. Bagair hukum farmers form a major chunk of the population here. In the election meeting, Mr. Yeddyurappa recalls the padayatra he had taken out from Shimoga to Shikaripur in 2003 to oppose the eviction of bagair hukum farmers by the Department of Forests officials. “It is necessary to amend the Forest Rights Act to confer ownership rights to bagair hukum farmers over the land they are cultivating. If elected, I will raise the issue in Parliament and get the Act amended,” he says.

In Nalllinakoppa, Jakkinakoppa and surrounding villages, Mr. Yeddyurappa speaks of bagair hukum farmers again.

While interacting with a group of college students in Sagar city, one notices a shift in his theme and the tone. He speaks on the need to generate employment opportunities in Tier-3 cities by upgrading industrial infrastructure. He told this reporter: “It is necessary to confer land ownership rights to bagair hukum farmers. A large chunk of the youths from the family of these farmers, who are educated, need jobs. The politicians should understand the pulse of the youth also.”

Even at Esur village, his last meeting of the day, Mr. Yeddyurappa was beaming with enthusiasm. “My real source of strength is the people. My energy will be recharged by the cheering of the crowds and the beats of the ‘dollu’,” he said.

Keywords: B.S. Yeddyurappa, Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency, Bharatiya Janata Party, Lok Sabha Elections 2014