JOIN USAssembly bypolls setback: JDS cites multiple reasons
JD(S) Karnataka president H K Kumaraswamy on Wednesday conceded that the party could have been more organised in its approach towards the bypolls to two assembly segments, where it turned in a disappointing performance yielding electoral ground.
The regional party was relegated to the third place in Sira and Rajarajeshwari (RR) Nagar seats, despite having considerable presence of Vokkaligas -- the party's core support base -- there, and failed to secure even 50 per cent of the votes received by it in the 2018 Assembly election.
"...yes there was some delay (in going for campaigning and also announcing candidates), we could have been more organised, there were financial issues as well," Kumaraswamy told PTI.
He noted that in by-elections, people generally back the ruling party for the "sake of development and getting the work done."
"...there is still over two years time for the assembly election. We will organise in a planned way..there is no need to lose heart because of these results..," he added.
JD(S) legislature party leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy too on Tuesday said that bypoll results were not a "yardstick" for a political party and he would concentrate on strengthening his party.
The JD(S), which had won the Sira seat in the 2018 assembly polls by getting 74,338 votes, was relegated to the third place with the party candidate Ammajamma B, wife of late party MLA Sathyanarayana (whose death necessitated bypolls) securing 36,783 votes.
In RR Nagar also, JD(S) ended up a distant third with V Krishnamurthy securing just 10,269 votes.
The party during the 2018 assembly polls too came third, but had secured 60,360 votes.
BJP candidates have won both seats in the bypolls held on November 3.
Speaking about the loss in Sira, H K Kumaraswamy said, "during the campaign, the ruling BJP made certain announcements, which seems to have worked in their favour.
From our side too there was a delay in the announcement of the candidate. The ticket was given to a woman (Ammajamma B) thinking that it may workout, but it is proved to be wrong."
While in RR Nagar, "there was no confidence that our candidate would win. Our own workers too lacked confidence and this led to the decline in votes for the party," he said.
Ahead of the bypolls, JD(S) also faced an exodus of local leaders to other parties, which further contributed to its defeat, he pointed out.
To a question whether the party failed in garnering Vokkaliga votes, Kumaraswamy said, "..it is getting reflected to an extent..in the Vokkaliga belt things seem to be a bit shaky, we are yet to analyse it." In Sira, since all the three candidates belonged to "Kunchitiga Vokkaliga", he community votes have split and JDS votes to some extent have shifted to BJP, he said.