One thing that strikes visiting correspondents in this hitherto neglected Badami constituency with a heritage tag in Bagalkot district of north Karnataka, is the quiet confidence that the unassuming JDS candidate Hanumnathappa Marinmarad, 38, exudes.

Pitted against two heavyweights in the form of chief minister Siddharamiah and BJP backward caste leader Sriramulu, Hanumanthappa, a Lingayat, has been quietly meeting the electorate since the last two years, seeking to solve their problems. Having held important posts as a member of the panchayat and zila parishad, he knows the difficulties that the people here face.

Clearly overawed by the high profile rivals, yet he is determined to hold his own in what could turn out to be a tough battle for all the contestants. As he told to The Statesman, “I have a personal equation with 45,000 out of the 60,000 odd households today as they were my constituents even before the elections were announced.”

Badami has suddenly gained importance following Siddharamiah’s decision to contest from here too, after Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district. With Sriramulu also joining the fray, in addition to fighting from Molakalmuru in Chitradurga district, the long neglected north Karnataka region, as a whole, never had it so good.

The JDS candidate, who is a native of the area, however, remains unfazed arguing that both the big leaders are outsiders and would gain little sympathy or support from the voters, comprising a hefty chunk of Kurubas at 40,000, Lingayats numbering 70,000, the Valmikis and SCs standing at 36,000 and a Muslim population of about 8,000 and other related castes.

But for the entry of the two big wigs, the voters were all set to favour the JDS candidate considering that B Chimankatti, the sitting Congress MLA, had not enthused them much earlier. Even though Siddharamiah’s influence as chief minister is all-pervading here, the average voter remains confused.

He is unable to understand why Siddharamiah picked Badami as his second constituency; nor is he sure if the two big rivals will retain the seat if they win from their first choice constituencies as well. Accordingly, there is the inevitable cynicism as Mallappa, a farmer, pointed out.

His views are echoed by Venkanna, a student, whose simple point is “even if either of the big wigs wins, I would still find it difficult to reach them because they will not be here. To me, my MLA should be accessible.”

Clearly, there is a positive message for the young Hanumanthappa. “The question people are asking is: how will Siddharamiah or Sriramulu solve the issues affecting the constituency and the region if they have no interest in it after giving up this seat, post a win?”

Surprisingly, the sentiments are echoed by most voters this correspondent met in Badami and in Bagalkot district, whether it was Savitrama, from Anantgiri village, or others who had threatened to boycott the polls earlier in protest against the absence of basic amenities including proper roads.

In fact, a few days ago,the district authorities persuaded the villagers against boycotting the election, highlighting that none other than Siddharamiah would be contesting from their constituency. As if to make up for neglecting Ananthgiri, the officials even sanctioned a bus, a first in years.

This is precisely the issue. For long, both north Karnataka in general and Badami in particular, have been neglected. Notwithstanding the tall claims of successive governments, the region has remained undeveloped when compared to other high profile districts in the southern part of Karnataka .

There is very little to showcase in terms of major benefits. It is evident that promises of development have remained on paper , with the residents continuing to face issues relating to basic amenities like the absence of better roads, infrastructure and the growing unemployment.

The neglect of the region had even led to demands for a separate state earlier. In fact, Umesh Katti of the BJP was perhaps the most vocal advocate earlier though subsequently he quietened down. It must be remembered though that after Rajasthan, north Karnataka is the second most arid region in the country ,with temperatures soaring above 43 degrees.

Under the circumstances, the voters remain unconvinced about Siddharamiah’ real intention to contest from Badami other than the presence of the sizeable Kuruba community to which he belongs. Congressmen, however, are charitable towards their chief minister.

According to them, Siddharamiah was keen to focus attention on north Karnataka as well which explains the decision to contest from Badami.

The electorate though feels that he chose Badami as a back up, banking on the sizeable Kuruba, SC,ST and minority votes here. “He is scared of losing in Chamundeshwari, following the consolidation of Vokkaligga and the minority votes there against him,” is the general belief.