The hung verdict in Karnataka and the quick post poll tie-up between Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) for government formation not only helped the Congress evade questions on its electoral failure but also underscored the importance of pre-poll alliances in the run-up to 2019.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee almost immediately pointed out how the results could have been different if the Congress had tied up with the JD(S) before the polls. And election data seem to vindicate this.
The combined vote share of the Congress and the JD(S) is 56.3% against the BJP’s 36.2% but more importantly, Congress sources argue, the two parties could have cornered more than 140 seats if they had fought jointly. And this could mean, claim Congress sources, winning nearly 20 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the State.
Though a section of the Congress had preferred a consolidation of anti-BJP votes, outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah — who came into the Congress fold after a bitter parting with the JD(S) in 2005 — is believed to have convinced the top leadership against such a move.
Congress plays it down
The Congress, officially, played down the possibility of the party ceding space and leadership role to regional players in forming an anti-BJP coalition for 2019.
“I think it’s premature and hypothetical at this stage and we don’t need to answer this,” said Randeep Surjewala, Congress’ communication chief.
But post-Karnataka results, many within the Congress have argued that the party should tie up with dominant regional players in States and attempt to prevent a split in anti-BJP votes in States like Madhya Pradesh (M.P.), Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. “Take MP for example. They may be winning just three or four seats but poll about six per cent votes. And that’s enough to damage our chances. If you look at Gujarat as well, the same thing happened as parties like the NCP cut into our votes,” said a senior Congress leader from M.P.
