Karnataka: It’s time to focus on governance

The results of the by-elections to the 15 Karnataka Assembly constituencies are out, and the BJP has swept them. Before getting down to an analysis of the results and its impact on state politics, a few observations about the by-polls themselves is in order. Clearly, the by-elections were unnecessary and were forced upon the voters by the disqualified MLAs of the Congress and JD(S) acting for their selfish and narrow personal interests. Their argument that they walked out of the parties to protest against the non-allocation of grants to their constituencies was hogwash as they were hosted by the BJP in a luxury hotel in Mumbai, were supported in their legal battle in the Supreme Court, were made members of the BJP after the SC judgement and, finally, 13 of them were put up as candidates in the by-polls. The 12 of them who won are set to be made ministers, much against the wishes of the party’s loyal MLAs.

In putting up the new entrants as the party candidates, Yediyurappa had to face the wrath of the party cadres who had fought against them in the previous Assembly elections, and the chief minister and state party chief Nalin Kumar Kateel had their own differences. The two, however, buried the hatchet and worked for the victory of the candidates. The discontent within the party may surface again at the time of allocation of ministerial positions, but in all likelihood, Yediyurappa will be able to quell it.

That barring Vishwanath and M T B Nagaraj all the new entrants to the party won at the hustings shows that Yediyurappa’s gamble has worked. Even the BJP high command seems satisfied with the way Yediyurappa led the party from the front right from the time 17 MLAs of the Congress and JD(S) walked out of their parties and right up to ensuring their by-poll victories. The victory of the disqualified MLAs shows the strong hold they have over their constituencies and their acceptance by the voters. The party’s win in Chikkaballapur and K R Pet seats shows its spread to these two constituencies.

The Congress found itself in a disadvantageous position as it approached the by-elections, with its strength in the Assembly standing at 66. The party entered the electoral fray on a high moral ground, trying to expose the unethical acts of the BJP in wooing away its MLAs. But, in the end, the party has done badly, winning only two constituencies – Shivajinagar, in Bengaluru, because of the social composition of the electorate there, and Hunsur.

It is high time the Congress party indulged in serious introspection about its maladies. Significant among the party’s limitations range from the differences between some of the senior leaders and Siddaramaiah on the question of allotment of tickets to the candidates. It is well-known that in several constituencies in northern Karnataka, Siddaramaiah gave tickets to his loyalists from the Kuruba community, disregarding the advice of party seniors and the social composition of the constituencies. Many seniors thus stayed away from campaigning.

Owning moral responsibility for the party’s dismal performance, Siddaramaiah and Dinesh Gundu Rao have already resigned from their positions as Leader of the Opposition and state party chief, respectively. Finding leaders to these positions who are acceptable to all sections of the party is going to be an uphill task.

The Janata Dal(S), too, approached the by-elections with clear disadvantages. Three of its leaders walked out of the party.

That the party came a cropper shows its diminished stature. The bane of the party is its dependence on the Deve Gowda-Kumaraswamy duo to lead it. The party should work hard to expand its social base and geographical reach if it has to remain an active player in state politics. The party has to guard against its members crossing over to the BJP.

The by-election results convey a few important messages as far as Karnataka politics is concerned. First, the BJP’s spectacular victory points to a stable government. With this distinct advantage, Yediyurappa should concentrate on good governance and all-round development of the state. The central leadership of the BJP may allow Yediyurappa a reasonable amount of freedom to run the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cited the party’s victory in the by-polls in an attempt to impress voters in Jharkhand.

Second, it is time Congress restructures itself and brings in younger leaders whose sole objective should be to rebuild the party to face the next round of Assembly elections. All this calls for commitment to the party ideology and discipline in the coming years. Perhaps, the KPCC, too, needs overhauling. The party should also hold its flock together and rebuild the morale of its workers to take on the BJP.

(The writer is a former Professor of Political Science and former Dean, Faculty of Arts, Bangalore University)