BENGALURU: Nail-biting suspense for the Biggies and the candidates. Monday will tell who has won or who has lost in the bypolls. With hours to go before the results, some netas spent time doing what they think would give them the edge — seeking divine intervention — while some others spent time with their supporters or constituents.
While the total number of seats at stake are 15, BJP is confident it will win 13. Congress, on the other hand, feels they will win 12 seats while the JDS too gives itself a good number.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, a man with a high spiritual quotient, was in Srikshetra Dharmasthala on Sunday along with DCM Govind Karajol, Home Minister Basavraj Bommai and Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary. He was out seeking the blessings of the Lord perhaps to help him achieve his target of 13 seats.
He was not the only one turning to God. JDS supremo H D Deve Gowda took a flight to Maharashtra and was seen in Shirdi along with party MLC Saravana and other leaders seeking blessings, expectedly that could help put them in power once again.
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Siddararamaiah was in Badami, his constituency, where he met his constituents attending to their grievances. Political observers said that he was only insuring himself in case of a mid-term poll soon because he fears his challengers from within and without could try to make it difficult for him in Badami as well as they did for him in Chamundeshwari, Mysuru, in 2018.
In the midst of all this, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge whose name figured as a CM hopeful in case a coalition is put in place met his supporters through the day in Bengaluru. Thereafter, he took a flight to Delhi to meet the party men and work out possible strategies from the advantage of being in the national capital.
Former CM H D Kumaraswamy, however, kept a low profile. He has been advised rest as he has fever. He spent most of the day at his house in JP Nagar, keeping glued to his formidable intelligence networks, which seem to be more reliable than the official state intelligence network, while his wife MLA Anita Kumaraswamy and son Nikhil Kumaraswamy were seen at a wedding in Palace Grounds in the evening.
Congress has been harping that as the turncoats were turned down by the voters in Maharashtra, and hopes that a similar result will come out here. But the BJP is confident that the people would bless them with votes since they favour ruling parties in the bypolls.