Karnataka polls: It’s not an easy ride for BJP

BENGALURU: The BJP, which suffered a crushing defeat in 2013 due to a split caused by B S Yeddyurappa, who floated is his own KJP, is entering the fray with new vigour this time. But the absence of a strong sense of anti-incumbency against the Siddaramaiah government has turned the race tough to win for BJP.

Though the party has a strong leader with mass base in Yeddyurappa, the choice has given a handle for political rivals to question BJP’s moral right to use corruption as a strong poll issue against the Siddaramaiah regime. However, the party sees adequate ammunition to end the Siddaramaiah regime.
“The divide-and-rule policy of Siddaramaiah will see a strong backlash from Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, the minority appeasement policy has spread a sense of insecurity among Hindus, law and order has collapsed, people are shocked at the goonda act of Mohammed Haris, son of Congress MLA of Shantinagar,” BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa said.

Lack of any strong alternative leader, differences within the party and limited social base has forced it to bank heavily on the Modi factor. The party can still hope to succeed. The huge army committed party cadres, efficient poll management skills at micro level, immense tendency of Congress leaders to commit harakiri, all raise hopes for the BJP to succeed.

The advantage of having its own government at the Centre and the shrewd electoral acumen of party national president Amit Shah could still prove the critics wrong.However, political analyst Prof Muzaffar Assadi sees many hurdles in BJP’s path. “While Congress has tried to expand its social base beyond AHINDA through Indira Canteen and Anna Bhagya, BJP’s social base is limited to Veerashaiva-Lingayats and a few other caste groupings. The separate Lingayat religion issue could erode even the Lingayat voter base of BJP,” Assadi said.