The sex scandal allegedly involving Janata Dal (Secular) MP Prajwal Revanna that triggered a high-decibel political slugfest is unlikely to have much of an impact on the voting in 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka that will go to the polls on Tuesday.
Prajwal Revanna, the JDS-BJP combine candidate from Hassan constituency and looking at retaining his seat, is facing serious charges of sexually harassing several women. His father and JDS MLA, HD Revanna, is also named as accused in two FIRs.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is probing the cases against members of one of the most influential political families in Karnataka, perhaps in the country. The three generations of the family of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda are currently members of both the Houses of Parliament and the state legislature.
All three seats — Hassan, Mandya, and Kolar — contested by JDS went to polls in the second phase on April 26. Now, in the third phase, the BJP is in a direct contest with the Congress in 14 seats. BJP’s alliance partner JDS is not a major force in those seats, although it has a presence in some pockets in North Karnataka.
Hours after voting in the second phase of polls in the seats in Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region, the scandal exploded into becoming a major topic of discussion in political circles across India. As the details of the horrendous crimes started coming out, Congress used it to attack the BJP by accusing it of turning a blind eye to atrocities on women. It became one of the electoral issues in their campaigning.
The Congress’ no-holds-barred attack may have pre-empted the BJP’s plans to aggressively use women’s safety issues to attack the Congress government in the state. The BJP was going hammer-and-tongs against the Siddaramaiah government over law-and-order issues, especially Neha Hiremath’s murder on the college campus in Hubballi.
The scandal involving its alliance candidate put the BJP on the backfoot to some extent, causing embarrassment to its top leaders. As a damage-control measure, JDS suspended Prajwal from the party and BJP turned the tables to question the State Government over delay in taking action against Prajwal as law and order is a state subject.
While the issue remains a point of political discussion, it is unlikely to impact voters’ decisions. The major factors in these elections include: the BJP’s emphasis on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and the Central Government’s performance in the last 10 years, Congress’ focus on its five guarantee schemes, promises made in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, and its sustained campaign against the Centre over alleged discrimination against Karnataka.
The BJP, which in 2019 swept all 14 seats that will be going to the polls on May 7, will be banking on support from Lingayats as well as other communities to retain the seats. Congress is hoping to consolidate support from Dalits, backward classes, and minorities, while also trying to breach BJP’s Lingayat fortress as it tries to improve its performance in North Karnataka. Determined to regain the lost ground, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has been spending considerable time in his home district Kalaburagi, while also campaigning vigorously in other states.
The scandal would have had a major impact on the elections had it exploded ahead of the April 26 polls in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region. The video clips were allegedly circulated days before the polls in Hassan. But the issue was confined to the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency. This is said to have damaged the JDS’ prospects in the constituency as it struggles to retain its home turf.
But the question remains: why did it not come out in a big way before polls in Old Mysuru, escalating only hours after polling? Was Congress concerned about the possible backlash from a section of the Vokkaliga community? The Vokkaliga community members will not condone wrongdoings by anyone. However, if they had perceived it as an attempt to target former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s family, it might have proved counterproductive.
Prajwal has to face the full force of the law, and the process has been set in motion. Another shameful part of the entire episode is the indiscriminate circulation of video clips without even morphing the identities of the victims. Will the state government show the same kind of alacrity and seriousness in punishing those responsible for circulating the videos? The videos should have been brought to the notice of law enforcement authorities at the first instance, not after they were circulated.
No one condones crimes against women. Hopefully, the investigation covering all aspects will be pursued at the same pace even after the polls.
Ramu Patil
Assistant Resident Editor
ramu@newindianexpress.com