In Karnataka, BJP showdown could derail party’s ‘Mission South’ Lok Sabha plan

Bangalore:

The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Secular Janata Party announced last week a “win-win” alliance for 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka; the Bharatiya Janata Party will compete for 25 seats in the Vokkaliga belt, while the JDS will compete for three seats. The former does not seem to be attractive. power and lost to the Congress Party in the 2023 parliamentary elections.

Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai welcomed the agreement and noted that the complementary vote banks “will not conflict”. Mr. Bommai also pointed out the “good relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda (the founder and patriarch of JDS)”.

Read | ‘Win-win’: Basavaraj Bommai shares seat with HD Kumaraswamy

However, in a few days, local divisions could threaten the hopes of the Reborn Alliance and the BJP to sweep the Lok Sabha seats in the state for the second consecutive time. Mr Modi’s party has set itself an ambitious target of over 370 seats on its own and over 400 with NDA allies including the JDS.

BJP’s Chikbalapur conundrum

Perhaps the most serious discrepancy comes in Chikkaballapur in southern Karnataka state, where the BJP’s choice of candidates has led to internal bickering. On Monday, the party announced K Sudhakar, health minister in the Basavaraj Bommai government, as its candidate from Chikballapur.

However, the news was not welcomed by Yelahanka MLA SR Vishwanath, whose assembly constituency falls under Chikballapur assembly constituency.

Mr Vishwanath wants his son Alok Vishwanath to be the party’s candidate and his supporters have even started a ‘return sudhakar’ against their own party leader sports.

Read | BJP signs Karnataka deal, HD Deve Gowda party wins 3 seats

Videos of the protest showed a large crowd of Vishwanath supporters carrying BJP flags and symbols, as well as posters and placards demanding Sudhakar withdraw his candidacy.

Visuals also showed burning tires piled on public roads.

Sources told NDTV that Mr Sudhakar, who twice won the Chikkaballapur assembly seat and lost it to the Congress last year, will meet his party colleagues to iron out these differences.

“He is a senior leader and there is nothing wrong in trying to get a seat for his son,” he said, adding, “But the party decided after considering everything that I should contest. I will talk to him talk.”

Tensions in Tumakuru

The BJP and JDS are also at loggerheads in Tumakuru, less than 100 kilometers from Chikballapur. The joint meeting here was marred by clashes among party workers who are used to rivals but apparently not yet accustomed to being on the same side.

The BJP-JDS alliance faced an awkward moment as party workers fought at a campaign event for the entry of their co-candidate, former housing minister V Somanna.

Read | BJP, JDS workers clash in Karnataka, friction in alliance

This time, the trouble started when JDS MLA (MT Krishnappa) lashed out at the BJP’s Kondajji Vishwanath, whom he held responsible for the defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The standoff in Tumakuru highlights the scale of the challenge faced by the BJP (and JDS) in this election, following the Congress’ resounding victory in the 2023 assembly elections.

BJP, JDS ignore minor differences

A similar scene also occurred in Hassan, making senior leaders on both sides worried about grassroots coordination. For now, those concerns have been downplayed. CT Ravi, national general secretary of the BJP, said, “There will be minor differences of opinion. Such skirmishes may happen but we will win in Tumakuru, JDS will win in Mandya. We will help each other .”

JDS leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of party president HD Kumaraswamy, said the same thing.

“There are some differences. This is a new coalition. It has just been formed. We have had meetings with party staff from both parties. The situation is healthy. We will keep it that way.”

In the 2024 Karnataka Lok Sabha elections, Karnataka will vote in two phases – April 26 and May 7.

In the 2019 elections, the BJP swept the state, winning 25 out of 28 seats. Congress and JDS won one seat each and the last seat went to an independent.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channel. click the link Get all the latest updates from NDTV in your chat.