Karnataka polls: BJP, Congress look for star power

With the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh elections over, Karnataka is expected to see high-voltage rallies as the BJP is planning to get Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to address crowds in Mangaluru and the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysuru region.

The Congress, on the other hand, is looking at AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to helm rallies.

According to BJP general secretary N Ravi Kumar, dates for Yogi’s rallies have not been finalised. “But, he will definitely come,” he said.

Apparently, the BJP is trying to get Yogi to address a rally in Mangaluru, a communally-sensitive area where the firebrand chief minister is expected to galvanise the party’s cadre. He will also address rallies in Old Mysuru region, if all goes as planned.

Besides being a Hindutva ambassador, Yogi belongs to the Nath Pantha tradition that is followed by Adichunchanagiri Mutt, an influential Vokkaliga mutt. The Adichunchanagiri Mutt is said to have close links with the Gorakhnath Mutt in Gorakhpur.

Adityanath is the head priest at the Gorakhnath temple. Both mutts follow the Nath Pantha, a sub-tradition of Shaivism.

For starters, the Congress plans to bring Priyanka Gandhi, who is being credited with the party’s victory in Himachal Pradesh, to its massive SC/ST rally in Chitradurga on January 8.

“We want to utilise her as much as possible,” Karnataka Congress’ communications chief Priyank Kharge said. “People relate to her a lot. Her coming to the election will boost cadres. She has her grandmother’s (Indira Gandhi) charisma, which is still relevant to Karnataka,” he said, referring to Indira Gandhi contesting a Lok Sabha election from Chikmagalur in 1978.

The BJP is already banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mobilise support for the party ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls. On Thursday, after the Gujarat election result, former chief minister B S Yediyurappa said Modi was requested to visit Karnataka twice a month. “He has agreed,” he said.

“Let [Modi] be here everyday. Why only twice a month?” Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar said. “We will give him whatever respect he deserves as PM.”