‘Shikaripur district’ may be BS Yeddyurappa’s fief

SHIMOGA: Former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa’s overpowering clout in the BJP may soon be manifest in another example: Shikaripur being declared as the 31st district of Karnataka.
Of late, the BJP strongman has been vocal about this demand for his hometown and party sources indicate that going by recent events, he will have his way. If it happens, Shimoga district will face the third bifurcation in a span of 15 years.Former CM JH Patel had split the district to include his home taluk Channagiri and Honnali in Davanagere district.
After Yeddyurappa’s elevation as deputy CM in 2006 and later as CM in 2008, he had promised voters that Shikaripur would be upgraded to a district. Over the years, he devoted attention to building infrastructure in the taluk. The projects included office buildings, parks, concrete roads, a big bus stand, guest houses and upgradation of the hospital to a districtlevel healthcare centre.
The former CM wants the new district to include four taluks — Shikaripur, Soraba , Hirekerur and Honnali. This means two taluks from Shimoga district and one each from Haveri and Davanagere will be added to the new district - all covering a population of 12 lakh. Yeddyurappa’s aides Haratal Halappa and MP Renukacharya are from Soraba and Honnali.
Politically, the formation will benefit Yeddyurappa. He can strengthen his hold in the region and pave the way for the entry of his second son BY Vijayendra into politics, say partymen. His other son BY Raghavendra is now an MP from Shimoga.
The move has met with stiff opposition from Sagar MLA Belur Gopalkrishna , an erstwhile loyalist of Yeddyurappa. He says the bifurcation of Shimoga will only help achieve the former CM's personal objective and nothing else. He plans to lead a delegation on Monday to persuade chief minister Jagadish Shettar not to yield to the demand.