In a big boost to All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge, the party comfortably won all five seats — Bidar, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Koppal and Ballari — in Kalyana Karnataka. It is a massive win for the grand old party as its candidates, including Mr. Kharge himself, were defeated by BJP candidates in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
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Though the region had been a Congress stronghold till 2004, the BJP made inroads with the help of mighty miners of Ballari in 2009 and the ‘Modi wave’ in 2014 and 2019.
The BJP won three seats and the Congress won two seats in 2009 when the Reddy Brothers of Ballari were at the peak of their power. The same results were repeated in 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered national politics.
In 2019, the saffron party swept the region by winning all the five seats in the region when Mr. Modi sought second term in office.
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Five years down the line, the balance of power between the two parties completely tilted towards the Congress as its candidates won in all five seats – Sagar Eshwar Khandre defeated Union Minister Bhagwanth Khuba in Bidar, Radhakrishna Doddamani defeated Umesh Jadhav in Kalaburagi, G. Kumar Naik won against Raja Amareshwara Naik in Raichur, K. Rajashekhar Hitnal defeated Basavaraj Kyavater in Koppal and E. Tukaram won against B. Sriramulu in Ballari.
Kharge’s emotional campaign in Kalyana Karnataka
Mr. Kharge, who was, as the president of Congress, supposed to campaign for party candidates across the country, spent considerable time at his home turf, Kalaburagi, and other constituencies in Kalyana Karnataka addressing public rallies and guiding the party’s rank and file on poll strategies. His efforts yielded desired results which are, in turn, expected to reinforce his position in the party.
Mr. Kharge’s defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections has also played an important role in Kalaburagi and Bidar constituencies. His emotional appeal to the people to attend his funeral even if they would not support him in electoral politics and his call for avenging his 2019 defeat appeared to have touched the people’s hearts.
Development plank
With no remarkable region-specific development initiatives, the BJP heavily depended on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and, in certain pockets, its Hindutva agenda. With Mr. Modi’s dwindled charisma this election compared to the previous ones, it could not beat the aggressive Congress that went to the poll with clear development projection and pluralist ideology.
Congress rode on the development work it had done when in power, such as the establishment of the ESIC Hospital Complex, Central University of Karnataka, a branch of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Kalaburagi Airport and Rail Coach Factory apart from the expansion of highway and rail network in the region. With these visible development initiatives, the Congress projected the election as the battle between BJP’s hoaxes and Congress’ development. The five guarantees implemented by the Congress government in the State have also played their role in favour of Congress in the region, just as they did in other parts of the State.
Denial of Special Status to Kalyana Karnataka under Article 371(J) by the BJP-led NDA government in 1999 also haunted the saffron party in this election. By fulfilling the demand during the Congress-led UPA regime in 2012, the Congress not only projected itself as the champion of the region’s development but also painted BJP as anti-Kalyana Karnataka.
Another major problem the BJP faced in the region was rebellion within the party. Many leaders including former Minister and Aurad MLA Prabhu Chauhan and Basavakalyan MLA Sharanu Salagar had openly worked against their party candidate Mr. Khuba. B.V. Naik revolted after he was denied the party ticket in Raichur. Incumbent Lok Sabha member Karadi Sanganna quit the party and joined Congress after he was denied ticket.
