Introspection time for JD(S) as it fights a battle of perception

The H D Deve Gowda-led JD(S) is the only major regional player that is trying to make space for itself in today’s state politics, whose narrative is dominated by the BJP and Congress.

The JD(S), with an ambitious target of winning 123 seats in the 2023 Assembly elections, is facing several challenges despite continuous efforts to attract voters.

Going by senior JD(S) leaders, finding candidates with a potential to win - a rudimentary requirement for an election - seems to be the biggest challenge.

“In some parts of the state, in the Mumbai-Karnataka region for example, we are finding it difficult to get suitable candidates to field,” JD(S) MLC K A Thippeswamy, the convener of the party’s core committee, said.

Thanks to the Gowda family, JD(S) is said to enjoy the patronage of the dominant Vokkaliga community.

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According to political pundits, however, Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar poses a major challenge to the regional party, which could split the Vokkaliga votes.

“The Shivakumar factor will be a major challenge for JD(S). His ambition to become the chief minister, his fight against Siddaramaiah within the Congress and his appeal to Vokkaligas to be given him a chance might work in his favour,” political analyst Chambi Puranik says.

That the JD(S) does not have a well-oiled election machine in the form of a cadre-based organisation like the BJP, or even the Congress to some extent, is a serious handicap for a party termed as ‘kingmaker’.

“It’s a great challenge in terms of appeal as there are no leaders who can be the face of development or contribute to the welfare of the people. The party survives only on the image of Deve Gowda, as he still commands sympathy and respect,” Puranik says.

Meanwhile, the exit of some senior leaders from the JD(S) could hurt the party’s electoral prospects - Basavaraj Horatti, its Lingayat face in north Karnataka, is now with the BJP.

At least two sitting MLAs - K Srinivas Gowda and S R Srinivas - have been chucked out for ‘anti-party’ activities.

Thippeswamy admits that the exit of senior leaders is a threat.

“Leaders quitting to join national parties will spell trouble for any regional party, not just JD(S),” he says.

The JD(S) is trying to strengthen itself by motivating its workers, he says.

The party is banking on its state president C M Ibrahim to woo Muslim votes, which the Congress managed to snatch by projecting the regional party as the BJP’s ‘B’ team during the 2018 Assembly elections.

“Ibrahim is trying his best,” Thippeswamy says. The party is also trying to woo backward classes and SC/STs by projecting Bandeppa Kashempur (Kuruba) and Raja Venkatappa Nayaka (ST). For the JD(S), the 2023 elections will be a do-or-die battle.

Analysts point out that the JD(S) has not been able to spread its influence or expand its vote base in central and northern Karnataka, barring a few segments.

Much is riding on former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy.

“He is familiar with local issues in the southern part of the state. Also, he takes other communities into confidence,” one political expert points out.

The JD(S) has already completed one round of campaigning in Bengaluru with ‘Janata Mitra Yatre’.

The ‘Pancha Rathna Yatre’ will start in a couple of weeks that will see Kumaraswamy and other senior leaders travel across Karnataka to convince voters that the regional party is a viable alternative to the BJP and Congress.

Kumaraswamy employed a similar narrative for the 2018 polls - “give us a chance”.