The final push for the battle of Karnataka, where Congress is seeking an encore and BJP is trying hard to regain its Southern basin that it won in 2008 but lost in 2013, is set to commence from Tuesday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would start his whirlwind poll campaign to give his party a leg-up in the neck-and-neck contest.
Pre-poll surveys suggest that the contest may be a touch-and-go affair with both the major parties — Congress and BJP — making all-out efforts to surge ahead of each other and inch towards the majority figure of 113 seats. The third party in the fray JDS, which had 40 seats in the outgoing Assembly, expects to play the role of a king-maker in the State.
BJP, which sees Karnataka poll as a high test of its popularity and the last nail on the coffin of Congress ahead of 2019 lok Sabha polls, has hinged its hopes on Modi’s sway with the Karnataka electorate. Modi is expected to address a minimum of 16 public rallies at district levels right upto the end of campaign until May 10.
BJP has high expectations from the Prime Minister to bring about an all-important swing of one or two per cent by way of his aggressive campaigning which could take the party ahead in the race to the touch line.
Besides Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath - will also criss-cross the state to create a favourable wave in favour of the party. While Shah has been almost camping in the state for last one month, UP CM may address 15 to 20 rallies in the state.
Modi may be focusing on the “divisive politics” played out by the Congress in the state by recommending that lingayats - constituting 17 per cent - be accorded minority status away from Hindu religion.
With just about 12 days to go for the Assembly polls in Karnataka, as Siddaramaiah’s lingayat card has queered the pitch for the BJP, the saffron party is taking the battle to the Chief Minister’s own turf through aggressively wooing his castemen - the Other Backward Classes (OBC) -and seeking to puncture his AHINDA credentials. AHINDA is a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits.
JDS has some tactical understanding with the BJP which may be extended in the post-poll scenario. The Congress, however, is confident that it would return to power as anti-incumbency is not weighing heavily against the Siddaramaiah Government.