RAKSHIT SHIVARAM: THE PARACHUTED CANDIDATE WHO NEVER BROKE THE PERCEPTION BARRIER

 In the 2023 Belthangady Assembly election, Rakshit Shivaram entered the race as the Congress party’s young, promising face—an advocate with a polished professional background and strong political lineage. Yet, from the very beginning, he carried the burdens that typically weigh down a parachuted candidate. His campaign struggled not because he lacked competence or credibility, but because he failed to convince Belthangady’s voters that he was one of their own.

Belthangady is a constituency that values long-term presence, familiarity, and daily engagement with local issues. Incumbent MLA Harish Poonja had the advantage of sustained visibility, an active grassroots network, and the natural goodwill that comes with addressing taluk-level concerns over five years. In contrast, Rakshit was virtually unknown in the region until the election season began. His sudden emergence—without years of prior public service or constituency groundwork—fed a quiet but powerful perception: this was a candidate “sent from above,” not someone nurtured by the soil of Belthangady.

The fact that he came from a relatively affluent family also reinforced the image of an “entitlement-backed” leader. Fairly or unfairly, many saw him as a rich, urban professional who did not fully understand rural priorities. His father’s career as a senior police officer in Bengaluru, and Rakshit’s own legal practice in the city, allowed opponents to subtly brand him an outsider. In rural politics, distance—geographical or emotional—can be fatal.

Adding to this was his relationship with senior Congress leader B. K. Hariprasad, whose nephew he is. While this connection undoubtedly helped him secure the ticket, it did not translate into voter trust. Hariprasad himself, despite five decades in public life, has never won a direct popular election. His reputation as an insider-heavy, organisational politician with a sharp tongue and polarising public style did not help Rakshit with swing voters. In fact, the association likely deepened the belief that Rakshit’s candidacy was imposed by the party’s power structure rather than emerging organically from local aspirations.

Ultimately, Rakshit’s defeat was not a rejection of his abilities but a rejection of his political positioning. Voters did not see themselves reflected in him. Without deep local presence, emotional anchoring, or grassroots credibility, even a well-packaged candidate cannot overturn entrenched perceptions. Rakshit Shivaram’s story is a reminder that in constituencies like Belthangady, belonging matters more than pedigree, and connection matters more than credentials.