Vibha Sharma
Chandigarh, February 14
Karnataka on Monday witnessed a major political spat between the BJP and the Congress over “frequent” visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah tothe poll-bound state.
After PM Modi kicked off Aero India in Bengaluru, leaders of Karnataka Congress took potshots at him, calling it “political tourism” ahead of the polls in the state which he otherwise “ignores”.
BJP leaders hit back, claiming that the Congress was afraid of PM Modi’s popularity because every time he visits their votes increase.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah today told ANI that the BJP will “win” the four major states- Rajasthan, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh- and form the next government in the 224-member Karnataka with complete majority.
In 2018, the BJP had won 104 seats, eight short of the halfway mark of 112.
This resulted in a coalition of Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress forming the government with HD Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister.
However, the coalition government collapsed in July 2019 following resignations by several Congress and JD(S).
The BJP formed the government with senior leader BS Yediyurappa becoming the Chief Minister. Though in July 2021, Yediyurappa resigned after crossing the 75-years of age mark, paving the way for Basavaraj Bommai.
Shah said in the past two months, he has visited Karnataka five times, “sensed the pulse of people of the state and witnessed PM Modi’s popularity there”.
“BJP will get a huge mandate in Karnataka. Even the people of Mandya are now shifting from dynastic parties and accepting BJP’s politics of development, this is a good sign for Karnataka,” he was quoted as saying.
Notably, Karnataka is the only BJP bastion in South India.
Mandya
Mandya district is considered the bastion of the JD (S) led by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. The former PM is considered the patriarch ofVokkaligas who dominate the region.
A full majority of its own has been elusive for the BJP in Karnataka, though it managed to cobble governments in 2008 and 2019.
One of the main reasons has been lack of leadership/support from Vokkaligas.
However,the path to the KarnatakaAssembly is through the two dominant communities—Vokkaliga and Lingayat.
Vokkaliga, Lingayat and BJP
While the BJP is strong in the northern districts where the Lingayat community prevails, its situation is different in southern districts dominated by Vokkaligas.
Another challenge for the BJP is to keep all its factions in good humour ahead of the upcoming elections.
Fissures in the BJP became more prominent after Kumaraswamy claimed that the BJP was planning to pitch union minister Pralhad Joshi, a Brahmin, as the CM if the party wins.
Bommai wasalso forced to remove senior minister R Ashoka from his charge ofVokkaliga heartland Mandya, indicating fissures in the BJP in the community. Though Bommai said it was at the request of the minister himself.
Observers say Vokkaliga leaders in BJP do not have the stature like those from the JD(S).
Thecommunity constitutes around 15 percent of the population in the state.
Meanwhile, sources say a large section of the Lingayat community continues to be upset over the removal of Yediyurappa as CM.
That he was replaced by Basavaraj Bommai, another Lingayat, did not help, nor did his appointment in the top central BJP committees, including the Parliamentary Board.
This is among the reasons why his son BY Vijayendra was appointed as convener of all party morchas.
While this will giveVijayendra a chance to enthuse party’ cadres, including from the Lingayat community, which the Congress-JD(S) is also eyeing, it may satisfy Yeddiyurappa’ supporters.
Sources say the BJP leadership wants to strike a balance by distributing responsibilities, a reasonwhy both BYJM leader Tejasvi Surya and Tejasvini Ananth Kumar, wife of late leader Ananth Kumar, have been included in the manifesto committee.
JD(S), Congress and their issues
Apparently,Congress’ warring duo DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have “reached consensus of some sort” relatedto basiccontours of the campaigneven though both continue to be “equalcontenders” for the top post if the party wins.
Shivakumar, the state president and Siddaramaiah, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, were seen together at Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and the party’s election campaign tour.
Congress and JD(S) are also trying to cash on suspected rifts in BJP’s Veerashaiva-Lingayat base by fielding a larger number of candidates from the community.
Lingayats account for about 15 percent of the electorate and also a large number of BJP MLAs, around 38, in the assembly.
Both Congress and JD(S) are planning strategies to woo Lingayats.
Though seen as a party of Vokkaligas, JD(S) named as many as 15 Lingayat candidates in its first list of 93 candidates.
BJP’s measures include appointment of Vijayendra as coordinator for morcha poll conventions.
Tipu Sultan controversy
Meanwhile the controversy over Tipu Sultan is continuing in the background.
Shah recently claimed that a “party of patriots” like the BJP can keep Karnataka safe and not the Congress and JDS “who are supporters of the 18th century Muslim king Tipu Sultan”.
It started when the Congress government headed by Siddaramaiah decided to celebrate Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary. The BJP, then in the opposition, criticised the decision saying it will not allow the celebrations.