K'taka Assembly elections: All three parties gear up for political battle

Bengaluru: With only nine months remaining for the assembly elections in Karnataka, the three prominent political parties are gearing up for the battle. The BJP, Congress, and JDS  have already begun efforts to win the hearts of the voters through the consolidation of community votes.

BJP will kick start its “Ghar Ghar Pe Tiranga” tour to highlight its government’s achievements. Congress, on the other hand, is preparing for the ‘Swatantryda Amritamahotsava Walk’ followed by ‘Bharat Jodo’ Yatra campaigns. Meanwhile, JDS is gearing up for “Pancharatna Yatra” in August after completing “Janata Jaldhare” and “Janata Mitra” to woo voters.

The birthday celebrations of former chief minister Siddaramaiah and ‘Sadhana Samavesha’ celebrating the completion of one year of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s administration have also gained political significance.

Lofty targets

All parties have set a target in mind before starting their respective campaigns. While BJP and Congress have set a target of 150 seats, JD(S) has set a goal of winning 123 seats.

Who will be BJP’s new state president?

BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel’s tenure ends in August and a new president is expected to be appointed. Considering the community equation in the state, it remains to be seen who will hold the post next.

Both Congress and JDS have representation from the notable communities of the state. Congress already has an opposition leader from the Kuruba community, KPCC president who identifies himself as a Vokkaliga and Prachar Samiti president who comes from the string Lingayat community.

At the same time, JDS has a president Muslim community, a legislative party leader from the Vokkaliga community, a core committee president who identifies as a Kuruba, and a parliamentary party president representing the Dalit community.

Since the Chief Minister of the BJP belongs to the Lingayat community, there is curiosity as to which community will get the post of president.

Thus the three parties are gearing up for the election war with their own strategies. All three parties have a special focus on the community’s ballot box. Between the election of the President and the Vice President, there are signs of heightened political activity in the months of July-August.

Reactions from the parties:

Briefing about the Congress’ strategy, KPCC president D K Shivakumar said “We are going to highlight the scheme initiated when we (Congress) were in power and also show the failures of the central and state government.” ans added that programmes will be organized to drive home these points.

BJP state general secretary Mahesh Tenginakai said “We have prepared a work plan for the election. We are going to hold 2 conferences every month in different districts and work to highlight achievements of our government to the people.”

Whereas, JDS Leader HD Kumaraswamy said his party will counter the narrative of both BJP and Congress. People have seen the governance under both Congress and BJP. JDS will put forward the Pancharatna action plan that is formulated in the interest of the people,” and added that he was confident of winning more seats.