BENGALURU: The BJP appears to script historical past to retain its southern citadel whereas a combative Congress eyes a comeback as Karnataka goes to polls on Wednesday on the finish of a excessive octane marketing campaign that was marked by a plummeting stage of public discourse and grew more and more shrill over the Bajrang Dal subject. As state leaders and candidates from totally different political events thronged temples on Tuesday to hunt blessings of god and luck on the eve of voting for the 224 Assembly constituencies, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a video message to the individuals of Karnataka on Twitter looking for their blessings within the mission to make the state the primary within the nation.
The Congress petitioned the Election Commission looking for fast motion in opposition to the prime minister for his appeals to Karnataka voters “in violation” of the mannequin code, and mentioned it was “a litmus test” for the ballot physique’s capability and willingness to implement legal guidelines. In his message, Modi mentioned the love he has acquired within the state over the previous few days has been unparalleled, and it has strengthened the resolve to make it primary throughout all sectors.
“Dream of every citizen of Karnataka is my dream. Your resolve is my resolve. When we come together and set our minds to a goal, no force in the world can stop us.” In an enchantment to “brothers and sisters” of the State, Modi sought their blessings within the mission of creating Karnataka the primary state within the nation.
“My appeal is for the bright future of Karnataka. It is for the bright future of your family, especially the younger generations,” mentioned the prime minister, who addressed 19 public conferences and held six roadshows as a part of BJP’s aggressive marketing campaign within the state. In a prolonged criticism to the chief election commissioner, Congress basic secretary in control of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala requested the fee whether or not it is going to stay a “mute and helpless spectator” or fulfil its constitutional obligation and act in opposition to the prime minster.
With the stakes being excessive within the mega battle of ballots, the key political events in contention–the BJP, Congress and JD(S)–have made a powerful pitch to spice up their electoral prospects. The Aam Aadmi Party(AAP), which is in energy in Punjab and Delhi, has additionally fielded candidates. Voting will happen from 7 am to six pm amid tight safety preparations and the ballots can be counted on Saturday. A complete of two,615 candidates are within the fray.
While the ruling BJP, driving on the Modi juggernaut, needs to interrupt a 38-year-old jinx — Karnataka has by no means voted the incumbent social gathering to energy since 1985, the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to present it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to place itself as the primary opposition participant within the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The battle-ready BJP with its well-oiled election machine ran its marketing campaign with a blitzkrieg by Prime Minister Modi. It was clear the ?double-engine Sarkar’ sought to closely financial institution on Modi’s enchantment to bolster its marketing campaign, shore up its prospects and struggle “anti-incumbency”. Also what must be watched out for is whether or not former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) will emerge as a “kingmaker” or a “king” by holding the important thing to authorities formation, within the occasion of a hung verdict, because it has achieved previously.
The Congress manifesto proposing to ban the Bajrang Dal heated up the later half of the marketing campaign because the BJP and Prime Minister Modi aggressively latched on to the difficulty to painting the grand outdated social gathering as being in opposition to Lord Hanuman and the emotions of Hindus. Modi additionally likened the proposed ban to locking up Hanuman itself. He additionally made it a degree to chant ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’ in all his speeches after the Congress launched its manifesto. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai (Shiggaon), Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah (Varuna), JD(S) chief H D Kumaraswamy (Channapatna) and state Congress President D Ok Shivakumar (Kanakapura) are the among the many prime candidates within the fray.
Other than Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy, Jagdish Shettar (Hubli-Dharwad Central) is the opposite former CM, who’s within the fray. Shettar had lately joined Congress, quitting BJP. Bommai and Shivakumar additionally visited Anjaneya (Hanuman) temples on Tuesday. While Bommai visited the shrine at Vijayanagara in Hubballi and chanted “Hanuman Chalisa” with devotees there, Shivakumar paid a go to to the temple at KR Market in Bengaluru and provided prayers. Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar together with numerous Congress leaders and supporters additionally paid their obeisance to Goddess Chamundeshwari, the deity of Mysuru metropolis.
Along with flowers, fruits, “Thamboolam”, incense sticks and purified butter, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar introduced a short copy of the Congress’ election manifesto, which highlighted the social gathering’s 5 “guarantees” within the occasion of it coming to energy. Barbs like ‘venomous snake’, ‘Vishakanya’ and ‘Nalayak beta’ vitiated the ballot marketing campaign as some leaders used intemperate and abusive language.
While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from Karnataka, likened Modi to a ‘venomous snake’ and his son and Congress candidate Priyank Kharge referred to as the prime minister a “nalayak beta”, BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal described former Congress president and MP Sonia Gandhi as a ‘Vishakanya’ (venomous lady).
The Election Commission claimed that enforcement companies in Karnataka seized over Rs 375 crore value of liquor, medicine and “inducements’ which was 4.5 times more than what was recovered during the last assembly election in the state in 2018. “A authorities with full majority” appeared to be the favorite slogan for the leaders of all of the political events through the campaigning that ended on Monday, as they harassed on getting a transparent mandate to type a powerful and secure authorities not like what occurred after the 2018 Assembly polls.
In the 2018 elections, the BJP had emerged as the only largest social gathering by profitable 104 seats, adopted by Congress 80, JD(S) 37, and an impartial, BSP and Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party(one every). With no social gathering having a transparent majority and Congress and JD(S) making a bid to forge an alliance, BJP stalwart B S Yediyurappa staked declare and shaped the federal government. However, it needed to resign inside three days forward of the belief vote, unable to muster numbers.
Subsequently, the Congress-JD(S) alliance shaped the federal government with Kumaraswamy as chief minister, however the wobbly authorities collapsed in 14 months, as 17 legislators together with independents resigned and got here out of the ruling coalition, and defected to BJP. This was adopted by BJP coming again to energy and, within the bypolls held subsequently in 2019, the ruling social gathering dominated by profitable 12 out of 15 seats.
In the outgoing Assembly, the ruling BJP has 116 MLAs, adopted by the Congress 69, JD(S) 29, BSP one, Independents two, Speaker one and vacant six. The BJP’s marketing campaign appeared largely “centralised” with the main target primarily on Prime Minister Modi, ‘double-engine’ authorities, nationwide points and programmes or achievements of the union authorities coupled with these from the state, together with these on reservation.
The Congress by and huge centered on native points and its marketing campaign additionally was run by its state leaders initially. However, its central leaders like AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra pitched in subsequently. The Congress was additionally aggressive on the plank of corruption accusing the BJP of being a ’40 per cent fee authorities’. But the social gathering’s promise to revive the 4 per cent quota for Muslims was seized by the BJP to ramp up its Hindutva plank within the hope of consolidating votes.
The Congress claimed that it drove a optimistic and development-centric marketing campaign with a imaginative and prescient for the Kannadigas whereas the BJP’s purpose was to “distract, divide and deceive” the individuals. The JD(S) ran a extremely localised marketing campaign, anchored solely by its chief H D Kumaraswamy, with social gathering patriarch Deve Gowda too becoming a member of in later regardless of his superior age and associated illnesses.
