BENGALURU: With the BJP posting a landslide win in Gujarat, the political grapevine had it that the party would go in for snap polls in Karnataka, in February 2023, to cream the positive impact it could have. However, party functionaries rubbished it.
“We are not under the illusion that we can win like in Gujarat, if we go for early polls. We have several development projects to be implemented, and we ill go for elections with a report card in hand. The Bommai government has to complete its tenure,” a BJP leader said. The hike in SC/ST quota by 6 per cent, regularisation of 11,133 pourakarmiks, and tap water to 32 lakh households across the state under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) will be helpful to the party. Issues related to corruption, border row, demands for hike in quota for other communities, 2A tag for Panchamasali Lingayats, and hike in Fair Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane, have to be resolved and will take time, a source told TNIE.
Meanwhile, the party has to make out a strong case for its pro-Hindu stance, and steps will be taken to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) when it comes up during the winter session in Belagavi. Bommai is likely to present a populist election budget in March 2023, political pundits analysed.
Yet, opposition parties, especially the Congress, are worried as they need time to prepare their logistics, and early polls could mar its chances under the shadow of Gujarat, a Congress leader said. Moreover, the BJP, which has already embarked on the Jan Sankalp Yatra, has upped its confidence level.
The JDS, which is on a ‘Pancharatna Yatra’, is getting an overwhelming response for former CM H D Kumaraswamy’s rallies. The Congress has delayed its SC/ST convention, Aikyata Samavesha, slated to be held in Chitradurga on January 8, and may find it difficult to face snap polls as it is mainly dependent on the anti-incumbency factor against the Bommai government,” regretted a Congress leader.