Buoyed by ‘Ram wave’, K’taka BJP confident of regaining lost ground
Bengaluru: The BJP camp, which was in a shambles until recently in Karnataka, is gaining momentum following a favourable wave generated by the victory in the Assembly elections of three states late last year and in the run-up to the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Winning the maximum seats in Karnataka seems like an achievable goal, and now the aim is to wrestle power from the state’s ruling Congress party, according to BJP sources.
Looking at the developments in the Congress, with a bunch of cabinet ministers targeting Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar by demanding more Deputy Chief Minister posts to cut short his influence, and the appeal by Dr Yathindra, son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, that the people should strengthen the hands of his father to help him stay in the post for the full term, very much indicate a tussle for power within their party.
And it is only a matter of time, the BJP sources claimed.
Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah have already spoken about the attempts by the BJP to topple the government, similar to how the Shiv Sena, NCP and the Congress coalition government were brought down in Maharashtra in 2022.
Discussions are already underway within the state’s political circles about the BJP’s grand plans to bring down the ruling Congress government after the Lok Sabha polls.
Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had stated that there are Ajit Pawars and Eknath Shindes in Karnataka politics as well, and anything can happen after the Lok Sabha elections.
The Congress is struggling to pacify its MLAs as sufficient funds could not be provided to their constituencies due to the implementation of guarantee schemes.
It is no longer a secret that the BJP is waiting for an appropriate time to strike, explains a prominent leader.
On the other hand, by forging an alliance with the JD(S), the saffron party wants to win over the south Karnataka region and face Congress unitedly in the rest of the state.
After appointing former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s son B.Y. Vijayendra as the BJP state President and senior leader R. Ashoka as the Leader of the Opposition, the saffron party is confident of consolidating major Lingayat and Vokkaliga community votes in Karnataka ahead of the general elections.
BJP leaders have claimed that since 1991, the state has voted for their party in the Lok Sabha elections.
The alliance with JD (S) and the Ram Temple wave will help the party get 15 lakh additional votes from south Karnataka districts, which had gone to the Congress with the projection of Shivakumar to the post of Chief Minister during the May 2023 Assembly elections.
In the 2019 general election and riding high on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi wave following the Balakot strike, the BJP won 25 of the total 28 MP seats.
The party, which looked weak opposite Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, now seems fully charged and in attack mode.
Although the BJP has distanced itself from Karwar BJP MP Anantkumar Hegde’s derogatory remarks against Siddaramaiah, sources have confirmed that it is part of a strategy to counter the Chief Minister’s criticism of Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the RSS and Hindutva.
Surprisingly, Siddaramaiah appears defensive.
Social media is flooded with pictures of the statue of Ram Lalla and Ayodhya gearing up for the inaugural feat.
The BJP and Hindutva forces are successfully carrying out the campaign on social media and on the ground as well.
The RSS in Karnataka has outlined a plan and reached out to over 29,000 villages in Karnataka ahead of the highly-anticipated Ayodhya event.
The organisation had carried out the Sampark Abhiyaan between January 1 and 15, during which it claimed to reach out to all the 29,500 villages in the state.
‘Mantrakshate’ (sacred rice used for worship), a photograph of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and handbills brought from Ayodhya have been distributed to the people.
On January 22, the main temples in every Karnataka village will organise ‘Satsang’ and ‘Ram Jaap’ programs.
LED screens will be erected for the live telecast of the grand event.
Prime Minister Modi had called on every household to light five diyas in the direction of Ayodhya on the evening of January 22.
The BJP is fully confident of garnering goodwill and reaping political gains, party leaders explained.
The saffron camp is growing in confidence in the state, following the internal fights within the Congress government.
Political experts also maintain that Karnataka is going to witness a political struggle between developed castes and backwards, Dalits, and minorities.
Karnataka is all set to witness an intense and close fight between the BJP and Congress in the coming days and the creation of a rift in the society is also feared in the backdrop of developments such as the controversial proposal to implement a caste census report.