Yatras raise the political temperature in Karnataka

Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo yatra”, which is in the last phase of its Karnataka leg, has charged up the political atmosphere.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022. (PTI Photo)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', in Chitradurga district, Karnataka, Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022. (PTI Photo)

The political temperature in Karnataka is rising by the day. Though the 2023 Assembly polls might be around six months away, all parties have already started their campaign aggressively to get a head-start and win the perception battle. It looks as if the election season has already started and campaigning is peaking a little early.

Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo yatra”, which is in the last phase of its Karnataka leg, has charged up the political atmosphere. To revive the grand old party’s mass appeal that has been on the wane, the former AICC president made his party leaders walk and even sprint. It appears that the purpose of the yatra is not to seek votes, but to galvanise the cadre, forge unity among the leaders and make the organisation vibrant. As the yatra, which critics term a massive PR exercise to project Rahul Gandhi’s image, traversed through the state, it received an enthusing response from party workers.

All along the route, Rahul Gandhi tried to connect with people and also send out a message that the party is one cohesive unit in the state with leaders complementing each others’ strengths to ensure victory in the 2023 polls. But whether Rahul’s charm offensive has worked will be known only at the time of ticket distribution.

That is when different factions and leaders, especially those nurturing chief ministerial ambitions, are likely to assert themselves to get tickets for their camp followers. A lot depends on how the state leaders keep up the momentum after Rahul and his armada pass the state borders. For now, facing polls unitedly appears to be a big challenge for Congress as it prepares the ground for a big battle to take on BJP’s well-oiled election fighting machinery.

On its part, the BJP which appeared to be on the backfoot for a while due to a flurry of allegations against the government is now going full throttle to outgun the opposition. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and former CM BS Yediyurappa have launched their state tour together firing on all cylinders. The party’s “Sankalp Yatra” that crisscrosses Assembly segments across the state will go on till year-end.

Two top Lingayat leaders -- Bommai and Yediyurappa -- going together on the state tour is significant. Perhaps, the party is not taking any chances in terms of reconsolidating its support base in the dominant Lingayat community. The community backed Yediyurappa in the last few years and the BJP may be concerned that if the former CM is allowed to travel alone, he may turn out to be a rallying point overshadowing all other leaders. That may not bode well with the high command’s announcement on fighting the polls under Bommai’s leadership. Getting full support from the Lingayat community will be crucial for the BJP. The party has not made much inroads into the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region.

The BJP will also be making most of the government’s decision to increase the reservation for the Scheduled Castes (SC) from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. While it may take time to implement the decision, the announcement has boosted the party’s image among the community and added strength to its leaders like Minister B Sriramulu who had played a crucial role in getting the support of the ST community in central and northern parts of Karnataka.
If the aggression in the BJP camp is anything to go by, the party is making all efforts to scuttle opposition’s attempts to set the narrative around corruption, even as it presents its report card to seek votes.

However, the focus seems to be more on retaliating and rebutting Congress, instead of broadening its canvas and making Congress-bashing a part of its larger strategy. It should cast its net wider, and rallies addressed by the party’s two top leaders shouldn’t be just limited to criticising former CM Siddaramaiah, though that may help blunt the opposition attack to an extent.

While leaders from the two national parties continue to spar over corruption and other issues, the regional party Janata Dal (Secular) is gearing up to start its “Pancharatna” yatra on November 1. It will cover 125 constituencies in 100 days. As the 2023 polls are crucial for the JDS, former CM HD Kumaraswamy is keen on joining hands with Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao’s newly launched Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to win some seats in the areas bordering Kalyana-Karnataka. Currently, most of the JDS seats come from the Old Mysuru region and its performance in the Vokkaliga heartland will be a cause of concern for Congress.

Going by the tone and tenor of the current political discourse, it looks like the election campaign will be more caustic in the coming months.

Ramu Patil
Associate Editor
ramu@ newindianexpress.com

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