Publicly, the BJP leaders led by B S Yediyurappa may be beating their breasts over how they were betrayed by the JD(S) in general and H D Kumaraswamy in particular. They may be shedding tears for having trusted the JD(S).

But why should the BJP repent now? The party is definitely better placed now than it was 20 months ago when it embarked on the coalition experiment. Despite putting up its best ever performance in the 2004 elections, the party was nowhere near ascending power given the secular vs communal divide in the State’s polity.

With Dharam Singh firmly in saddle, the BJP looked like it had to remain content with the tag of principal Opposition party forever. When Kumaraswamy decided to wean the Dal away from the Congress fold, the party made the best use of the opportunity that came its way to enter the corridors of power. If it had shied away from being a “tool” in the hands of Kumaraswamy, then it would have remained as the main Opposition party and nothing more.

Thanks to the bridges it could build with Kumaraswamy, the party opened its innings in the South. The BJP must be content to this extent.

Now the question is whether the BJP can encash the sympathy factor and gain political power on its own.
It could be anybody’s guess at this juncture because much depends on when the mid-term polls would be held.
If the elections are held in the next two or three months, then the sympathy factor may work in favour of the BJP. But if the elections are conducted after six months, then the sympathy is sure to wane given that public memory is short. The JD(S) betrayal of the BJP may become a non-issue by then. Also, the Congress may not favour immediate elections at this juncture.

When the BJP is riding high on the sympathy factor, why will it opt for immediate polls? More the delay, better for the Congress.

Now the spotlight is on Raj Bhavan. It is to be seen whether the governor would pull the curtains down on the minority government headed by Kumaraswamy or give the chief minister an opportunity to prove his majority on the floor of the House. Going by Sunday's developments, it looks like the CM may face the floor test.

The BJP may now be accusing the JD(S) of betrayal. But such betrayals are not uncommon in politics. It is an irony that the BJP is crying foul only when it was denied the chief minister’s post. It found no fault with the CM or his father for the last 20 months! Worse is that the entire political crisis has now taken a caste angle.

From the way the protagonists are acting, it looks like the whole issue might just turn into another Lingayat vs Gowda row.