The BJP and the ruling Congress — the key contenders in the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka — are grappling with the challenges of finding winning candidates in several constituencies with stakes high for the two national parties.
The BJP had swept the 2019 general elections, bagging 25 of the total 28 seats in the state, while an independent backed by the party had also emerged victorious.
The Congress and the JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, which were running a coalition government back then and fought the election together, had come a cropper winning just one seat each.
But the political scene has changed significantly: The Congress scored a thumping victory in the Assembly elections in May last year and now appears battle-ready, determined to put up a strong show in the Lok Sabha polls.
It is also a role reversal of sorts for JD(S) which joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year and wants to prove that it’s still a force to reckon with, particularly in South Karnataka.
The coming poll is also seen as a “litmus test” for state BJP President B Y Vijayendra, who has the onerous task of leading the party to retain its supremacy in the Lok Sabha elections.
Both the BJP and the Congress have their share of challenges, with finding winning horses on top of this list.
The BJP is facing resistance against fielding sitting members of Lok Sabha once again in some constituencies while also facing alliance compulsions to accommodate its new partner JD(S), according to party sources.
The Congress, which won 135 out of a total 224 seats in the Assembly elections, is keen to field some Ministers but they are shying away, admitted a senior ruling party leader.
The BJP, banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s charisma, is aiming to win all 28 seats, while a resurgent Congress is targeting to bag 20 by highlighting that it has walked the talk by implementing five guarantee schemes.
The Congress had initially tasked ministers with identifying potential candidates but the party’s state President and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had said recently that reports received were not satisfactory.
Shivakumar has said that the party has decided to commission one more survey to identify winnable candidates.
With inputs from News18