The electoral fight in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies, which are going to polls on Friday in Karnataka, is significant for all three major parties, and has attracted national attention this time for a variety of reasons.
Why it matters
For the Congress, which launched anti-BJP platform INDIA block in Bengaluru about nine months ago, the poll outcome is significant for providing political stability in the State and increasing the party’s tally at the national level.
The BJP, which has set the target of winning 50 seats in south India, considers Karnataka the party’s “gateway to the South” and has consistently won more seats than the Congress in the past few elections. Winning maximum seats in the first phase is crucial not only for the State unit of the BJP to regain its hold but also for reaching the target of seats set by the party at the national level.
The BJP and JD(S) are battling it out in the parliamentary elections against the Congress. In bipolar contest, the BJP hopes its alliance with former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s JD(S) can help it sweep the State again. For the JD(S), which is apparently facing an “existential crisis” after its drubbing in the 2023 Assembly elections, the poll outcome would determine its future role and relevance.
Of these 14 constituencies, BJP won 11 seats, Congress, JD(S) and Independent one each in 2019.
Vital for CM and Dy. CM
The grand-old party’s leaders, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar, who hail from southern Karnataka, have set the anti-BJP narrative by launching aggressive campaign against the Narendra Modi-led government on alleged denial of drought relief, share in devolution of taxes and denial of funds and environment clearance for water/irrigation projects in Karnataka.
As both leaders have constantly indulged in a subtle game of one-upmanship, the positive poll outcome is crucial for both leaders to establish their dominance in the party as well as in the State government. The victory in Bengaluru Rural and Mandya constituency is crucial for the KPCC chief, who is vying for the Chief Minister’s post in the future. Both leaders have held aggressive campaigns, flagging five “guarantees”, and the poll outcome will determine the political equations between two leaders.
Crucial for HDK
The JD (S) in alliance with the BJP is fighting against the Congress in three constituencies of Hassan, Kolar and Mandya. It’s a “do-or-die” battle for former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, who is keen to enter the Parliament after his first stint in the late 1990s. The victory in Mandya and other two constituencies would enable the JD(S) to regain its lost hold over the Vokkaliga belt of the Old Mysore region, which was captured by the Congress under the leadership of Mr. Shivakumar. The JD(S) won one seat in 2019.
Voters would also decide the fate of children of Ministers contesting elections for the first time. In Bengaluru South, Sowmya Reddy (Congress), daughter of Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy, is fighting against BJP leader Tejasvi Surya. In Chamarajanagar, Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa’s son Sunil Bose is taking on S. Balaraj (BJP), former MLA from Kollegal. The poll results might decide the continuation of these Ministers in the Congress government., sources in the Congress said.
Battle of prestige
The Bengaluru Rural constituency has gained a lot of public attention across the State. Mr. Shivakumar’s brother D.K. Suresh is in the fray against C.N. Manjunath, cardiologist and son-in-law of JD (S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda. The Mekedatu, a balancing reservoir, which was planned to cater to the drinking water needs of Bengaluru and other nearby towns falls in this constituency. The elections in the constituency is seen as a “battle of prestige” for the families of Mr. Deve Gowda and Mr. Shivakumar.
