HUBBALLI: After carrying out a high-voltage campaign in the Dharwad district, political parties are in a huddle to work out the possibility of their candidates’ victory. While Congress leaders assert the high poll percentage was a result of anti-incumbency against the BJP government, the saffron party leaders’ claim is that the higher voter turnout has always benefited them.
The district has posted a polling percentage of 73.45, which is a per cent more than the previous polls. While the Kundgol Assembly segment stood top with 82.86 per cent, the Hubballi-Dharwad Central constituency, which witnessed a high-voltage battle, has posted the lowest in the district with 64.14. Other segments in the district have polled over 70 per cent, except Hubballi-Dharwad West (64.38).
In the 2018 election, the BJP won five Assembly segments out of a total of seven in the district. As the polling percentage is by and large the same across all constituencies, the Congress leaders are expecting a reversal of the result and a few of them are expecting the party to sweep the district with six seats. It also looks true because taking advantage of anti-incumbency against the then Siddaramiah government, the BJP had won a majority of the seats here.
While Jagadish Shettar is confident of winning his seat with a higher margin, a senior Congress leader said the people’s mood was against the BJP government and its policy of creating a divide in society. The Congress also conducted a positive campaign by assuring the public of fulfilling the guarantees it has promised. So the party would get the benefit of both positive and negative votes, he added.
However, the calculation of the BJP leaders is quite different. They are guaranteed of retaining all seats in the district and adding another one. They put forward poll statistics to substantiate their claim that whenever the polling percentage is high, it helped the party secure more seats. The statistics also prove their claim. Since the 2008 election, the district has seen an increase in poll percentage and the saffron party has utilised it in its favour, except in 2013 when the party was divided.
The 2023 election also proves whether Shettar is a real force in the district. His exit from BJP and joining Congress is not only a crucial factor for both the national parties, but also his political relevance. It also sets the stage for next year’s General Election, say political observers.
But BJP leaders still maintain that Shettar is not the factor at all, as the party is still strong as it was when the former was a part of it. A senior BJP leader said that as the party organisation was intact, Shettar’s desertion will hardly impact. The party always fights elections on the strength of its cadre, and the workers have brought more voters to the polling booths. As a result, the poll percentage has increased, which largely benefits the party, he added.
