Karnataka polls: Campaigning hits crescendo before mics fall silent

BENGALURU, MAY 7: Campaigning for one of the most fiercely fought electoral battles in Karnataka is reaching a crescendo and is likely to get shriller till the mikes fall silent on Monday evening when the state gets into a “silent mode” before the polls on Wednesday. Vigorous efforts and backroom manoeuvres will go on till voters head to the polling booths.

This is an election in which Congress desperately wants to win, BJP cannot afford to lose, and the Janata Dal (Secular) is fighting to hold onto its ground. The intensity and desperation are visible in the last-minute push by the parties which are not leaving anything to chance. And, the indications are that it is still anybody’s game.

Given its committed cadre that pays multiple visits to voters in the last week of the election and its strong leadership that goes to the hilt to blunt the opposition narratives set over several months, the BJP seems to be getting into the final phase of electioneering much more confidently than it seemed a few weeks ago.

Many in the party believe that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rallies and roadshows that started on May 29 charged up their karyakartas and set the momentum in the party’s favour. Modi took part in a 26-km roadshow in the state capital Bengaluru on Saturday and will do it again on Sunday morning. With 28 Assembly segments, Bengaluru is a crucial part of BJP’s strategy to get the majority on its own. In the 2018 polls, the BJP had not done particularly well in the IT City and the party won 104 seats in the state, just short of getting a majority of 113 in a 224-member Assembly.

This time around, the party is heavily banking on the PM. He has addressed 16 rallies so far and will address two more on Sunday before ending his campaign in Karnataka. Apart from Modi’s popularity, the party is hinging on its social engineering, increase in reservation for SC, ST and OBCs, tickets to fresh faces to beat anti-incumbency, and emphasis on the benefits of the “double-engine” government. The party will strive to emphasize them till the last minute, while its national and state leaders try to outdo the Opposition to occupy voters’ mind space.

On their part, Congress and the JDS are holding onto their ground. The Congress, which started well by putting the BJP on the backfoot on several issues, including corruption, faltered a bit in the death overs when its leaders resorted to personal diatribes against the PM and included the party’s intent to ban the right-wing organisation Bajrang Dal in its election manifesto. That did more harm than good for the party’s cause.

, Congress appears to be on the offensive and working on its strategy. While it is yet to be seen if such a strategy will work well, the party has a strong support base at the grassroots level. It also managed to counter the BJP’s carpet-bombing style of campaigning by deploying its state and national leaders. AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, who understands the nuances of state politics like the back of his hand, is leading from the front. It is a crucial election for him to assert his leadership within the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and put Congress in a commanding position when opposition leaders discuss a possible alliance against BJP.

Kharge has been campaigning hectically in the state, and the last few days he seems to be focusing on his home region of Kalyan Karnataka. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP won all seats in the region. For the first time, Kharge lost the elections.

Regaining lost ground in his home ground will be his priority as top BJP leaders, including Modi, are frequently visiting the region to strengthen the BJP base.

On the flip side, in the last few days, former CM and the party’s chief ministerial aspirant Siddaramaiah seems to be confined to his constituency Varuna. The BJP’s strategy of fielding a strong Lingayat leader and minister V Somanna against him has put the former CM on tenterhooks. In the 2018 elections, as CM, Siddaramaiah was leading from the front.

In the next three to four days, the Congress will hope to maximise its candidates’ ability to connect with voters and their experience of last-minute manoeuvring, apart from trying to cash in on the anger among a section of BJP leaders who failed to get tickets but have not come out openly to express their displeasure.

While the two national parties seem to be executing their well-planned strategies, the regional party JDS is pushing itself hard, too. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda is addressing three to four rallies a day and former CM HD Kumaraswamy is campaigning vigorously to improve the party’s performance not just in the Old Mysuru region, but also in other regions.

The JDS camp is confident that Kumaraswamy will be the next CM. On Wednesday, over 5.21 crore voters will decide the fate of the parties, their leaders as well as the direction the state will take over the next five years.