The State appears to be set for an aggressive round of political tussle as the focus, especially after the exit polls, is now on the stability of the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress coalition government.
Close on the heels of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party seeing an opportunity to bring down the government, the ruling coalition too is learnt to have decided to adopt an “aggressive” approach to tackle such efforts by the BJP.
“Hitherto, we were defensive while trying to safeguard the government from the efforts to woo our MLAs. But now, we have decided that offence is the best form of defence,” sources close to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said, while referring to the BJP leaders’ claims that several MLAs from the ruling combine were ready to shift political loyalties.
Such an aggressive posture of the ruling coalition leaders has even triggered speculation that they may not be averse to making efforts to woo some of the disgruntled BJP MLAs.
Though the elections were held for the Lok Sabha, its results are expected to impact power equations in the Karnataka Assembly owing to differences within the ruling coalition partners and efforts by the BJP to capitalise on such differences.
In fact, all prominent BJP leaders, including State president B.S. Yeddyurappa, have been maintaining that the coalition government would not survive after the Lok Sabha results on May 23. Now, the predictions by the exit polls have increased the enthusiasm of the BJP whose leaders feel that they would succeed in their efforts to bring down the government if the actual results go the same way.
However, the crucial meeting of prominent Congress leaders held by AICC president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, in which he is learnt to have stressed on the need for saving the government in Karnataka, has made the coalition leaders to think of adopting an aggressive approach.
According to sources, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao met Mr. Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru on Monday and briefed him about the outcome of the Delhi meeting. Mr. Rao reportedly assured the Chief Minister that his party leaders would fully stand with him in protecting the government.
The Chief Minister is also learnt to be in touch with prominent non-BJP leaders from across the country to assess the impact of the possible poll outcome on the political scenario in general.
