BENGALURU: Though the number of seats for BJP has come down from 25 in 2019 to 17 in the Lok Sabha elections in the state, it has fared better than in the Assembly polls, held just a year ago. Winning 19 seats in alliance with JDS, the state BJP has contributed the highest number of MPs from South India to the party’s national tally.
In this election, of the 3.86 crore votes cast, BJP candidates have secured 1.77 crore votes, while Congress 1.75 crore. This constitutes a 46.06 per cent vote share for BJP, as against 45.43 per cent for Congress.
Last year in the Assembly polls, the BJP vote share was 36 per cent, accounting for 1.409 crore votes. It has now gone up by 37 lakh votes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the party had secured 1.8 crore votes.
The victory in the Lok Sabha polls is expected to boost the party in the coming days, as the state will see many polls, including for panchayats and BBMP. To begin with, the party has to face at least three Assembly bypolls in Haveri — where Basavaraj Bommai is MLA, Ballari — represented by E Tukaram of Congress and Channapatna -- where HD Kumaraswamy is the MLA. All three have been elected as MPs.
Interestingly, the party which did not do well in the Old Mysuru region in the Assembly polls, has scored well in this general election, winning all the three seats in Bangalore (North, Central and South) along with Bangalore Rural, Mandya, Mysuru, Chikkaballapur and Tumkur.
The comeback after the humiliating defeat in 2013 is quite remarkable, considering that the party took time to appoint the party state president (BY Vijayendra) and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly (R Ashoka). The victory must also be sweeter as it has done well despite Congress being in power.
The party’s experiment of fielding newbies too seems to have paid off. Mysuru scion Yaduveer replaced Pratap Simha, Shobha Karandlaje came in place of former Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda, Kota Srinivas was given ticket from Shobha’s constituency of Udupi-Chikkamagalur, Jagadish Shettar was chosen to contest from Belagavi and Capt Brijesh Chowta was given ticket from Dakshina Kannada. Most of these candidates won amid rebellion within the party, fanned by KS Eshwarappa, Pratap Simha, Sadananda Gowda and others who were not given tickets to contest.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s extensive campaigning, covering most parts of the state boosted the morale of party workers. At the same time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party national president JP Nadda focused on particular regions. Karnataka strongman BS Yediyurappa and others too played an important role.
The party now has a big challenge of grooming leaders to win the 2028 Assembly polls. “After Yediyurappa’s exit, BJP is finding it difficult to find an alternative leader. His son Vijayendra is the state president, but the party has many challenges in taking everyone into confidence. We have this lacuna of grooming another leader who can be our CM candidate for the 2028 Assembly polls,” said a senior BJP leader on condition of anonymity.