BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday predicted that BJP will not secure more than 200 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
He was speaking at Express Dialogues — Mini Conclave held in the city. In the run-up to the last Assembly elections in the state, Shivakumar had predicted that Congress would win 141 seats and the party secured 135 seats.
“If BJP is so powerful, they would not have gone around making so many alliances. They are also not sure of winning more than 200 seats,” Shivakumar said, adding that the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is a sign of BJP’s weakness.
Speaking on I.N.D.I.A. and dodging a question on Rahul Gandhi’s nomination in Wayanad against a non–BJP candidate, Shivakumar said, “It is still not decided who will be the leader of I.N.D.I.A. We believe in inclusivity. Instead of singling out and elevating any one individual as a leader, we will face whatever challenges may arise together.”
Shivakumar was also confident of Congress’ good show in LS elections in the state. He asserted that there is no Modi wave in Karnataka.
‘We’ve not made peace with our past’
The DCM also spoke about the “injustice” done to the state by the Centre by not releasing funds to tackle drought, “harassment” by central investigating agencies, Brand Bengaluru, and the future of guarantee schemes in the state.
The event kicked off with a conversation between Vikram Sampath, author and historian, and Santwana Bhattacharya, Editor of The New Indian Express, followed by a panel discussion with Chandan Gowda, BS Murthy, Sandeep Shastri and Samhita Arni.
Sampath said, “In India, we have not made peace with our past. We have obliterated and whitewashed anything uncomfortable. We have pushed it all under the carpet.”
With an opposing view, Gowda recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Hind Swaraj’ book, emphasising that history is in the past and we must not delve into it. Instead, the focus should be on the present and on the welfare of the people.
Ahead of LS elections, the panel touched upon issues such as voter perception, women contributors, electoral bonds, younger generations’ interest in non-party politics, and evolving narratives of the parties.
Shastri said, “While BJP is going for a national narrative with PM Modi as the face of NDA irrespective of the states, the newly formed I.N.D.I.A bloc is looking at regional and state issues to make its voter base.”
While India races to elect its new government in the next two months, the panel reflected that the next five years will witness a conflict not just about different ideologies, but also about freedom of choice, across generational lines, changing the democratic landscape of the country.