Karnataka civic polls verdict shows coalition government’s show of strength, a worry for BJP
BENGALURU: None of the three major parties in Karnataka are considering the results of the 105 urban local bodies (ULBs) announced on Monday as an indicator for the Lok Sabha election. The results, however, have come as a major morale booster for workers of the Congress that has emerged as the largest winner sweeping 982 of the 2,662 wards.
While Congress is using the results to reject speculations that its alliance with the JD(S) is weakening the party at the grassroots level, the BJP has claimed to have succeeded in gaining a foothold in non-conventional bastions. Political analysts believe that the results have lessons for all three parties in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, especially the BJP to not take the coalition lightly.
Despite winning 929 wards and emerging as the second largest party, the BJP is likely to be pushed over by a Congress-JD(S) post-poll alliance in most ULBs that have thrown up a hung verdict. For a party that has conventionally been deemed “urban-centric”, the BJP has failed to elicit the kind of support it required making way for the Congress to govern 37 of 105 ULBs independently and 12 more in alliance with the JD(S). While BJP has a clear majority in 31 ULBs, JD(S) has emerged on top in 12 ULBs leaving 13 more ULBs undecided.
Even at the local level, the Congress-JD(S) strategy of a “friendly-fight” has damaged the BJP severely, analysts believe. “The result restores the status quo of Assembly election at one level but a deeper analysis would show that the BJP is on the backfoot. It is an important lesson for Congress and JD(S) that a pre-poll alliance can work to their advantage whereas a warning for the BJP that everything is not well in the state unit and their infighting is visibly leading to losses,” said Dr Sandeep Shastri, political scientist.
The ULB results throw up two key factors despite representing barely 40% of the urban voting population. One: Congress-JD(S) alliance, pre or post-poll, can mean potential damage to the BJP right up from the grassroots level. Two: the BJP no longer holds the sway it presumes to hold on urban voters.
“BJP’s urban dominance is missing given the results. On a macro-scale, there is no sweeping victory for anybody but these elections have sent localised messages of dominance,” said Prof Narendar Pani, Political analyst and commentator. The “friendly-fight” between the Congress and JD(S) in effect was a warm-up of sorts for local workers and leaders.
“We were clear that we won’t fight together but will follow ethics of coalition. We did not indulge in smear campaigns and workers campaigned with respect for each other,” said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao, setting the tone for his partymen ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.