After the lunar eclipse, Karnataka is going to witness a high-voltage campaign in February for the crucial Assembly poll which is expected to be held in May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to sound the poll bugle on Sunday in IT city Bengaluru to mark the conclusion of Parivartan yatra of BS Yeddyurappa who traversed 224 constituencies in 75 days.
Some Kannada outfits have called for a bandh on that day seeking Modi’s intervention to resolve contentious Mahadayi water sharing with Goa for drinking purposes to the parched five districts of north Karnataka. But as the bandh call has fizzled out and now BJP wants to use this opportunity to commence the election campaign from PMs rally. The local unit of the saffron party has made all arrangements and expected to be a big booster to its fight against Siddaramaiah and the congress. BJP is talking about making Karnataka congress mukth to re enter Karnataka which is seen as the door to south India.
The State BJP is betting high on PMs visit to Bengaluru to take on the Congress and its strategies. It is also significant that in Urban Bengaluru BJP wants to garner more seats compared to 2013 elections giving a tough time to Congress and JDs.
As Yeddyurappa said” the party is depending on internal survey conducted by an external agency to allot seats to the right candidate”. Party National President Amit Shah who has visited three times is also expected to visit many more times along with other leaders to the State. To keep its tempo on Hindutva politics UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has already campaigned twice in the State and he is one of the star campaigner expected to campaign many more time in the State. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders have campaigned in the parivarthana yatra undertaken by Yeddyurappa.
Yeddyurappa said “we are prepared to take on Congress on the PMs Development plank and we are gearing up for PM rally on Sunday”.
In its crucial battle for supremacy Karnataka congress and it’s newly elected Chief Rahul Gandhi is not lagging behind in taking on the BJP. The high command has given free hand to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who is playing appeasement politics to the hilt to fight anti incumbency.
The congress led by Siddaramaiah and its State in charge KC Venugopal has been keeping working out strategies to counter the BJP. They are putting up a unity plank and also soft Hindutva tofight the BJP.
learning lessons from Gujarat polls, Karnataka Congress has now decided to 'speak in one voice' and have asked leaders to refrain from speaking out of turn. A congress leader said” we are gearing up with a strategy to take on the BJP. We are also Hindus were the statement made by our Chief Minister and we are waiting to cast the dye to take on communal BJP.”
Karnataka assembly polls are a crucial battle for many netas which include Congress President Rahul Gandhi and also Siddaramaiah. Rahul Gandhi after his new found election dynamics in Gujarat is expected to replay the same card in Karnataka. He has already tied up with Gujarat Dalit Neta Jignesh Mevani and others to keep the BJP away as Karnataka is the test bed for him.
Rahul Gandhi is arriving in Karnataka on February 10 and will attend the party's rally at Hospet and then travel around Koppal, Raichur and Kalaburagi districts in Hyderabad Karnataka region . Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, G Parameshwar, two working presidents, president of campaign committee and Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, will accompany him during this tour. Gandhi is travelling in his lucky bus which was used during Gujarat polls in Karnataka too. According to AICC sources the bus proves to be lucky and the same will be used in Karnataka for his travel. Congress president will also expect to visit some temples and mutts which were justified by the State unit of the Congress.
The election heat is on. Its more than the summer, the election sizzler is taking the heat and both the national parties along with the local JDs are gearing up to fight the battle. The parties are working out class and caste combination to field the candidates to sit on the hot seat. The 224 constituencies in the State are on a real boil with high voltage activities testing the minds of the people.