The former Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, after a nearly five-decade association with the Congress, has crossed over to the party’s arch-rival — the Bharatiya Janata Party — much to the surprise of many given the fact that the Congress leadership had bestowed many positions on him during the course of his long political career.
The timing of his exit from the Congress is very relevant. He had withstood being sidelined for well over four years, from the time he was dropped from the Manmohan Singh ministry after being vested with an all-important position of External Affairs Minister. What then prompted him to move away from the Congress at this point of time remains unclear, although over the past year, he did make attempts to meet top leaders and prevail upon them to take some corrective steps in the administration of the State, which were largely ignored.
The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party, ahead of the elections to the Legislative Assembly, has thus gained a distinct advantage, and it will obviously utilise the services of Mr. Krishna to the hilt in garnering votes, particularly of the Vokkaliga community to which he belongs. The Vokkaligas constitute a major chunk of the population in the southern, coastal and Malnad districts of the State, and Mr. Krishna, to this day, enjoys considerable popularity and is more of a mass leader.
That the BJP will use his popularity to serve the party is quite clear given the manner in which the party president, Amit Shah, has welcomed him into the party fold. In a way, Mr. Krishna will be a captive campaigner for the BJP although there is no clarity on the position that he will occupy in the party. There are reports that he chose to join the BJP to help safeguard his family interests. However, such reports are not backed by evidence, and are purported to be based on hearsay.
The first test for Mr. Krishna will be in the byelections to the Nanjangud and Gundlupet Assembly constituencies scheduled to be held on April 9. As such, State BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa is already in the thick of campaigning and Mr. Krishna is expected to extend his support. Both the seats hitherto held by the Congress are in the Mysore region where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah enjoys considerable clout. A victory, even in one of them, will mean a distinct advantage for the BJP.
In the days to come, it will be interesting to see the role that he will be permitted to play in the BJP since for one, he is 84 years old, and the BJP top brass has already made it clear that political leaders above 75 years will not be permitted to contest an election leave alone being accommodated in a ministerial position. Mr. Krishna has, however, made it clear that he is not looking forward to an important position in the BJP, and the party too has already made it clear that in the event of a victory in the next round of elections in the State, Mr. Yeddyurappa will be the automatic choice for the post of Chief Minister.
( The writer is Resident Representative, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, Bengaluru )
