CP Yogeshwara was with the BJP till a week ago. Today, he is the Congress's candidate in Chennapatna as the segment prepares for the 13 November polls.
Published Oct 28, 2024 | 6:00 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2024 | 6:00 PM
Five-time MLA CP Yogeshwara is taking on JD(S) youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Channapatna assembly polls slated on 13 November. (Supplied)
Switching loyalties is not new to five-time MLA CP Yogeshwara. He dons different roles with ease like a professional actor, and no one seems to be holding an ever-lasting grudge against him.
A week ago, actor-turned-politician CP Yogeshwara was with the BJP. Today, he is the Congress’s candidate, taking on NDA’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy, in the Chennapatna bypoll slated for 13 November.
Yogeshwara, 61, was expecting the BJP to field him from Chennapatna, but the party decided to back Nikhil, JD(S) youth wing president and son of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy. However, after the NDA decided to field Nikhil, Yogeshwara resigned from the BJP and switched allegiance to the Congress.
The switching of allegiance paid off as the AICC nominated CP Yogeshwara as the party’s candidate in Chennapatna. It also marked his ninth contest from the constituency.
Yogeshwara was born at Chakere village near Channapatna taluka in the Ramanagara district on 29 August 1963.
His father, Puttamadegowda, was a retired teacher, who passed away aged 89 in July 2024. Yogeshwara pursued a BSc degree from VV Puram College in Bengaluru in the early 1980s.
Before entering politics, Yogeshwara had a career as an actor. He made his debut in the Kannada movie Aruna Raaga in 1986, which had a star-studded cast that included Anant Nag, Geetha, CH Lokanath, KS Ashwath, and Pandri Bai.
After two years, he starred in the mass-hit Ranadheera movie, where he played a supporting role. His first lead role came in Uttara Druvadim Dakshina Druvaku in 2000, a year after he was elected as an independent candidate from the Channapatna constituency.
In the following years, he starred in successful films such as Shivappa Nayaka and Sainika, released in 2001 and 2002, respectively. Sainika garnered significant fame for Yogeshwara, winning him accolades.
However, his journey in cinema was relatively short-lived, as his subsequent films, Kamabalahalli, Badri, and Panchali, released in 2002 and 2003, failed to bring him the expected recognition and success.
After these setbacks, Yogeshwara shifted his focus primarily to politics, abandoning Sandalwood.
Yogeshwar won five consecutive terms from Channapatana until Kumaraswamy halted his winning streak in the 2018 Assembly elections.
Beginning his political journey as an independent candidate in 1999 and garnering 46.01 percent of the votes, CP Yogeshwara retained the support of his constituents despite switching parties until 2018.
Following his first victory as an independent candidate, Yogeshwara moved to Congress and contested on the national party ticket in the 2004 Assembly polls, and emerged victorious against the JD(S) in his second election. He had managed to gross nearly 50 percent of the votes.
He emerged victorious for a third consecutive term in the 2008 Assembly polls on a Congress candidate from the same segment. However, he was one among the leaders who was part of the BJP’s infamous ‘Operation Lotus’ in 2008.
Though he had won from the grand old party, Yogeshwara switched allegiance to the BJP the same year, paving the way for BS Yediyurappa to form the government.
In between, Yogeshwara unsuccessfully contested the parliament elections on a BJP ticket from the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seat in 2009. His opponent Kumaraswamy handed him the first defeat in electoral politics.
However, Yogeshwara remained popular in Channapatna.
“Yogeshwara became popular among rural areas of Channapatna since he ensured that around 150 to 160 lakes in his segment were filled to the brim all 365 days in a year,” Congress spokesperson Nataraja Gowda told South First.
“This helped the agrarian community to grow commercial crops and vegetables. This has made farmers across Channapatna financially stable. The farmers recognise that if Yogeshwar had not taken up the irrigation works seriously then it would not have been possible. Many farmers name him ‘Bhageeratha’ for his irrigation works in the region,” he said.
“He has done good development works in his first three terms as an MLA, irrespective of the party he has associated with. He has developed a good bond with people. People also recognise him and his works even after over a decade,” Gowda added.
A few months after the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP granted him a ticket for the Channapatna Assembly by-election in 2009 The seat fell vacant after he had defected from the Congress to the BJP.
However, he lost to MC Ashwath of the JD(S). The defeat was his first in the contest to the Assembly.
In October 2010, Channapatna MLA Ashwath quit the JD(S) and joined the BJP, and the seat fell vacant again. Yogeshwar contested the 2011 by-election, won, and was rewarded with a Cabinet berth in the Yediyurappa government.
However, the BJP found itself in turbulent waters after key leaders such as BS Yediyurappa and B Sriramulu left the party to form their own outfit in 2013. Yogeshwara sprang a surprise by aligning with the Samajwadi Party.
He won his fourth consecutive Assembly election in 2013 on a Samajwadi Party ticket.
Yogeshwara’s association with the Samajwadi Party was brief. He joined the Congress as an associate member shortly before the 2014 March Lok Sabha elections.
Alleging interference by DK Shivakumar and his brother in Channapatna constituency works, Yogeshwara yet again resigned from the party in 2017. He joined the BJP before the 2018 Assembly polls.
The BJP welcomed him with open arms. Yogeshwara contested the bypolls in 2018 and 2023 under the saffron flag. He lost both the elections to Kumaraswamy.
Yogeshwara was nominated to the Legislative Council after he played a key role in engineering the infamous defection of 17 MLAs from the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance and helped Yediyurappa-led BJP back to power.
Despite opposition from a section of BJP leaders, he once again got the forest portfolio in the Yediyurappa ministry in 2020.
After Basavaraj Bommai replaced Yediyurappa as the chief minister in 2021, Yogeshwara was not granted a Cabinet berth. He continued as a member of the upper house until his resignation on 21 October 2024.
Congress leader Ramesh Jarkiholi and BJP’s Yogeshwara reportedly played vital roles in orchestrating the defection of 17 MLAs from the ruling alliance in 2019.
The successful ‘Operation Lotus’ paved the way for Yediyurappa to be sworn in as the chief minister for the fourth time in July 2019.
“It is known that Ramesh Jarkiholi had led the defection. However, Yogeshwara played his part in bringing back BJP to power under the leadership of Yediyurappa,” a close aide of Yogeshwara told South First.
“Yogeshwara not only managed to convince some of the ruling party MLAs to defect but also extended financial help to carry out the operation. He mortgaged his residence to fund the defection,” he said.
“This commitment impressed Yediyurappa. He had already developed a good bond with the former chief minister. Recognising his efforts, Yediyurappa nominated him to the upper house. However, he could not accord him a Cabinet berth initially due to strong opposition from within the party,” he recalled.
Though the Congress internal committee insisted on Bengaluru Rural former MP DK Suresh as its candidate in the Channapatna Assembly by-poll, KPCC chief and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar chose Yogeshwara as the party’s face.
Shivakumar’s decision to field Yogeshwara baffled several Congress leaders, including ministers.
“The party had set-up a committee under the leadership of Minister for Agriculture N Cheluvarayaswamy to recommend probable candidates for Channapatna. The minister recommended Suresh’s name for the seat,” a senior minister told South First, requesting anonymity.
“The party high command and chief minister had entrusted the deputy chief minister to pick a suitable candidate. Shivakumar fielded Yogeshwara, considering his local popularity. We are not aware why he was fielded but it was the choice of the KPCC chief,” the minister added.
On Congress’s strategy preferring Yogeshwara to Suresh, political analyst Prof Harish Ramaswamy said CP Yogeshwara has been the “child” of Channapatna.
“Shivakumar and his brother have lost confidence in the region. Once you are in a position, it is not going to play an important role,” he said, citing the example of BS Raghavendra winning the poll without using his father Yediyurappa’s name.
“Raghavendra has worked well. He spent time with the people. People look at infrastructure development, growth of economy, employability, investments and other factors. The base of the feudal concept is slowly eroding,” he said.
“Today, one has to establish contacts at the grassroots level. Shivakumar and his brother couldn’t do it and people are aware. It could be the reason why Shivakumar might have nominated Yogeshwara,” Ramaswamy added.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
