Poll-time sticking point for BJP, Congress: that non-adhesive called Chief Ministerial face

Having a chief ministerial face has always brought electoral dividends to parties as political narratives are built around cults of personalities.

For the 2023 Assembly elections, which is just six months away, only the JD(S) has clarity on its chief ministerial choice - H D Kumaraswamy.

The BJP and Congress both find themselves in an uncomfortable position on projecting a CM face, choosing instead to fight polls under a collective leadership.

Also Read: Few leaders who left JD(S) for BJP, Congress may return to party: H D Kumaraswamy

The BJP’s problem could be symptomatic of the post-B S Yediyurappa and Ananth Kumar era.

In the 2004 assembly elections, Kumar, then a union minister, was widely seen as the party’s face. But when he decided to continue his politics at the national level, Yediyurappa became the CM contender. The Lingayat strongman has been the BJP’s CM choice since. This time, however, the saffron party is chanting the unity mantra. Congress, too, is having to deal with the proverbial ‘too many cooks spoiling the broth’.

Experts agree that having a chief ministerial face to sell to voters would help, but say it is easier said than done. They point out that in Karnataka, declaring a CM face would be “difficult and challenging” for both BJP and Congress.

Clear choice

“The JD(S) is a dynastic party and there’s no question of anyone other than Kumaraswamy. There’s no risk for the JD(S) in announcing his name and it won’t make much difference,” political analyst Chambi Puranik says.

“Even Kumaraswamy knows he can play the role of a game-changer. They probably know they can’t form the government on their own. Their base is in the Vokkaliga belt and south Karnataka. The party’s supporters know that Kumaraswamy will be the deciding factor if there’s a hung Assembly. He has become CM twice under such circumstances,” Puranik explains.

Leaders of the ruling BJP are touring the state under the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Yediyurappa, a combo, party leaders say, will face the election.

Also Read: Siddaramaiah: Will contest from only one constituency

Many believe that the BJP has few pan-Karnataka leaders with enough panache to occupy the top chair, for which the party is to be blamed, perhaps, for not grooming enough skippers.

Banking on Bommai, BSY

“There’s no dearth of CM faces,” BJP general secretary N Ravi Kumar insists. “Though there are aspirants in our party, we haven’t decided on it. We’ll face elections under the collective leadership of Bommai, Yediyurappa and (BJP state president) Nalin Kumar Kateel,” Kumar says.

According to Kumar, both BJP and Congress have not announced CM candidates and “this means there are effective candidates in both camps”. Kumar points out that only BJP and Congress are in competition. “In this context, portraying one particular face may become a problem.”

Many contenders

Unlike the BJP that had Yediyurappa as its CM pick since 2004, the Congress has not overtly projected a face. It is no secret that leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah is eyeing a second term as chief minister should the Congress win. Then there is Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar, who is nursing his chief ministerial ambition. The names of former party president G Parameshwara and former minister M B Patil have come up in the past.

Karnataka Congress working president Saleem Ahmed asserts that there is no fight within the party.

“We have never faced elections by announcing a CM candidate. This time, too, we will go under a collective leadership. There’s no question of announcing a CM face,” he says. Experts say the Congress is better off with not projecting a CM face because doing so could divide voters.

“My hunch is they will prefer Shivakumar if the verdict is favourable for Congress,” Puranik says. “Vokkaligas and other OBCs may not support Siddaramaiah. Shivakumar being the contender is a problem for Siddaramaiah. However, if there’s a power-sharing agreement between the two, there’s a chance for the latter,” he says.

Modi factor

BJP voters, according to experts, will mainly look at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s face, which was the case in 2018 as well.