How Fernandes ran a high-voltage campaign for Chikkamagaluru bypoll

| Jan 30, 2019, 07:03 IST
HIGH-VOLTAGE CAMPAIGN: George Fernandes during a door-todoor campaign in a village in Chikkamagaluru district in 1978HIGH-VOLTAGE CAMPAIGN: George Fernandes during a door-todoor campaign in a village in Chikkamagaluru district in 1978
BENGALURU: While the historic Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha byelection in 1978 gave former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi political rebirth, it also brought to fore the grit and fighting spirit of socialist leader George Fernandes. It was to be his political hallmark.
The bypoll was in fact a contest between Indira and Janata Party’s nominee Veerendra Patil. But eventually, it turned out to be an ‘Indira vs George’ contest.

While Indira’s Chikkamagaluru campaign was masterminded by the astute strategist Devaraj Urs, then Karnataka’s chief minister and Indira loyalist, Patil’s campaign was led by firebrand Fernandes.

Fernandes was Union industries minister in the Moraji Desai government. He was a staunch critic of the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family’s dynasty politics and had battled the Emergency of 1975-77 imposed by Indira. Still, he ran a high-voltage campaign for nearly two months and appeared tireless.

"His election campaigns were a joy to behold," said Congress leader BL Shankar, former president of Janata Dal. "He walked through rain, rode on bullock carts, drove in an AC-less ambassador and campaigned for 18 hours a day, living on simple food and wearing ordinary clothes."

Shankar recalled Fernandes going from door to door to tell people about the excesses of Emergency and the crushing of democratic rights by Indira. "His public meetings were very popular in post Emergency days as people thronged to listen to him. He was as popular as Indira then," Shankar said.

He ate by the roadside or went without food and his whole being was a political statement. With a basket in hand, Fernandes collected funds for the byelection campaign and put up posters which said: ‘Indira was a cobra who would bite voters’.


Though Indira won by about 70,000 votes, Fernandes secured rich dividends and strengthened the Janata Party in Karnataka. Political analyst MK Bhaskar Rao revealed the Janata Party had initially approached Kannada film industry icon Rajkumar to contest against Indira. The actor was staying in Chennai and former CM JH Patel went to meet him, but Rajkumar refused saying he wanted to remain apolitical.


"There is no political leader today to match Fernandes," said local businessman Shivanna Gowda in Chikkamagaluru who remembers his 1978 election rallies vividly. Aravind D’Silva, a coffee planter in Chikkamagaluru, said: "The simplicity of his attire and manners made people incredulous and wonder


if he was indeed a Union minister. He just electrified the atmosphere.”


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