The campaigning for the State Assembly elections is entering a critical phase and the agenda being pitched is increasingly turning out to be BJP’s national vs Congress’ local in the rural hinterland.
Contrasting campaigns
From depending on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Home Minister Amit Shah and U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for serial campaigns and road shows to woo the voters, the BJP is projecting its national leaders as the face of a strong and stable governance.
In contrast, the Congress on its part is more vocal about the local and is harnessing the appeal and draw of their ‘’home-grown’’ leaders ranging from Siddaramaiah and M. Mallikarjun Kharge to D.K. Shivakumar.
Though the Congress national leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, have made frequent appearances, they appear to be ‘’token’’ in nature when compared to the publicity blitzkrieg being launched by the BJP leaders crisscrossing the State.
Bucking scrutiny, says Cong
The BJP’s fixation on national issues is seen as a diversion by the Congress to evade scrutiny of their local performances. In the interiors of Varuna, for instance, the BJP candidate V. Somanna - who is billed as an ‘’outsider’’ and pitted against Siddaramaiah - has little to show to the voters of his development works to which the local populace could relate. For, Mr. Somanna’s political roots are in Bengaluru.
His campaign speeches hence refer to highways, airports, rail infrastructure, Vande Bharat trains etc all of which are Centre’s projects. They do have deep implications in an urban milieu but has little resonance with the rural populace especially in the interior regions where livelihood and farming issues matter.
Here, the Congress has an upper hand and though out of power for five years, the Siddaramaiah government’s scheme of ₹1 per kg of rice has a better recall value among the voters. The Congress is building on this and has now promised 10 kg of free rice besides free power up to 200 units, unemployment doles, increase in wages to the ASHA workers to which the rural voters can easily relate to.
More focus on Centre
The BJP campaign makes no mention of local schemes of the Basavaraj Bommai government announced in the State Budget, including those where the implementation has been effective as claimed by its spokespersons.
A case in point being PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana where the penetration is 94% in the State. But it also has a central government’s appendage to it and is not entirely a State project. The piped drinking water project has impressive coverage but again is part of Jal Jeevan Mission and is Prime Minister’s pet project.
Though Mr. Bommai announced free education for girls in government colleges, free rides for working women, scholarship for farmers children there is little reference to these and the focus drifts to national issues in the BJP camp.
One subject which has resonance across the country and is raised by the Congress is the imputation that the BJP – if elected – would tinker with the Constitution, an insinuation that forces the BJP on the backfoot to counter the narrative. The other is the reservation issue.
Focus on ‘guarantees’
More than emphasising on what the BJP has failed to deliver - on employment generation, curbing price rise etc - the Congress is off late focusing on its ‘’guaranteed’’ promises that have local and immediate relevance and implications for the voters. To counter it, the BJP manifesto offering freebies was released on Monday but is perceived to have come too late to gain traction and tickle down to the rural areas as there are just nine days to go for the polls.
