This is surprising because in Ballari district, the Ghorpade family is virtually synonymous with the Congress.

In a surprise development, Karthik Ghorpade, scion of the Ghorpade royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Sandur, has entered the political arena in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to defeat the Congress, which he says has “crossed the limits of corruption”.

In Ballari district, the Ghorpade family is virtually synonymous with the Congress. But Mr. Karthik, son of the veteran Congress leader M.Y. Ghorpade, recently joined the BJP to bring about change in Sandur’s political culture.

Between 1957 and 1999, 11 elections were held in Sandur Assembly segment, with the Congress winning all but once, including seven wins for Mr. Ghorpade who entered electoral politics in 1959 through a byelection necessitated by the death of Rayanagouda. In the elections held in 1978 and 1983, though the senior Ghorpade did not contest, Congress candidates emerged victorious. In 1985, for the first time a non-Congress leader — U. Bhupathi of the Communist Party of India — won, but with the support of Mr. Ghorpade.

After Mr. Ghorpade announced his retirement from electoral politics in 2004, the seat was wrested by Santosh Lad of the Janata Dal (Secular). From 2008, when the entire district JD(S), under the leadership of the late M.P. Prakash, a veteran leader in the district, merged with the Congress, Sandur went back to being a stronghold of the Congress, electing its candidates in 2008 and 2013.

That the Ghorpade family enjoys a lot of public support was evident when this year, for the first time, a large number of people participated in the procession of the BJP candidate before the filing of nomination papers, with Mr. Karthik himself in the lead.

Excerpts from the chat The Hindu had with him:

How serious are you in breaking the tradition of Sandur being a Congress stronghold?

I am very serious. I have decided to enter the political arena not for personal gains. I have only one agenda — give an opportunity to the people of Sandur to live with self-respect and ensure their welfare, which has been ignored since 2004. During the past 15 years, development has taken a back seat in Sandur under the present dispensation. The Congress regime is corrupt to the core. I want them to be routed so that they cannot come back to power again.

What are the reasons for you to toe a different line from your father who was a staunch Congressman?

They (the Congress) do not want people like us. People there are irresponsible. After the retirement of ‘Sahebaru’ (his father M.Y. Ghorpade), the affairs of party appeared to go into the wrong hands. In 2004 itself, I alone fought against them. When I decided to come back,after seeing the sorry state of affairs in the past 15 years, BJP national president Amit Shah and other senior leaders, including my relatives in the party, approached me asking that I join the party. I think I have come at a right time. With the BJP ruling at the national level, if the party comes to power in Karnataka, I can sincerely work for the development of Sandur and also for the welfare of the people. Apart from this, it will my duty to protect the family’s reputation too.

How have your family members responded to your decision?

I think my family will be very happy as it will be an escape from the suffocating atmosphere that prevails in Sandur.