This ex-IPS officer is ‘singing his way’ for votes

Kollegal (Chamarajanagar), July 30 :-

  Many recognize Mr Subash Bharani, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate from Kollegal Assembly segment in Karnataka, as an upright IPS officer-turned-politician. But very few know that he is a very good singer. The BSP poll strategy to take on the rival poll parties in the forthcoming by-elections scheduled for August 18 is asking Mr Bharani to regale his voters with his music numbers.  

Reliable BSP sources told TNN here on Thursday that quite a few number of lyrists have been hired to pen songs and also compose music emphasizing the ideological ethos of Babasaheb Ambedkar and the BSP at large, besides pinpointing the negative points of the rival parties’ candidates. These songs would be sung by Mr Bharani himself during the election campaigning, which would take its full glow from August 2.

Speaking exclusively to TNN here, Mr Bharani said: “If the party strongly feels that my singing talent will fetch me votes that will largely help me win the polls, I am too happy to do that. Music comes naturally to me. But, I sing for pleasure more than publicity or recognition,” he says.

While he was the Superintendent of Police of Chikamagalur district in 1983, Mr Bharani, shot into limelight when he silenced a rampaging mob by singing! “The mob was on the rampage protesting against then chief minister Gundu Rao and Mr Bharani sang a folklore, which eventually calmed down the situation and he even got applauds from the chief minister,” a police officer, who worked with Mr Bharani in 1983 recalled. 

Asked to comment on the reasons for quitting the BJP, Mr Bharani refused to be specific, but said the BJP has treated him with dignity and has no grouse against it. “The BJP fielded me from T Narasipur segment in the 2008 Assembly poll, which unfortunately lost and appointed me as the Karnataka Representative in Delhi and made the chairman of the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) and accorded Cabinet rank”.

“But, still from day one in the BJP, I felt it’s not my territory. So I have decided to quit the party and join the BSP, which is like home coming for me. My priority would be to bring SC, ST, OBC and minorities under a single umbrella and work for their welfare,” Mr Bharani added.

The Kollegal is witnessing the by-election as the sitting Congress MLA, Mr Dhruvanarayana, got elected to the ALok Sabha in the 2009 polls and resigned to the Assembly seat. Mr Bharani is now locked in a four-cornered contest with the BJP, Congress and the ruling BJP fielding their respective candidates.

On Wednesday, Mr Bharani and Congress candidate Jayanna have filed their nomination papers setting election mood in motion.