The BJP has never won an outright majority in the Karnataka assembly elections, though it has managed to capture the throne thanks to independent MLAs and defections. (Image: PTI/File)
Traditionally seen as a party of Lingayats and Brahmins that eventually has to muster support, this time the BJP is targeting the majority mark on its own. And SC, ST and OBC are at the center of its election plan
BJP’s Lingayat leader and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa was next to Raju Gowda when he said this. Clearly, this was not a casual remark trying to shed an image, but part of the BJP’s broader strategy in the run-up to the assembly elections due in April-May.
The BJP has never won an outright majority in state elections in Karnataka, although it has been able to win the throne thanks to independent MLAs and defections.
This time he is expected to cross the figure of 113. And she knows that this can be achieved only if she can get the support of castes other than Lingayats and Brahmins.
The party is apparently seeking support from religious monasteries of backward communities like Bovis, Valmikis, Madars and Kurubas. National party president JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah have been meeting mutt heads over the past few months, and the party has asked priests to remain politically active.
This could help fill a void for the BJP.
With the party lacking any major leaders from these communities, getting the support of these mathas becomes all the more important. It’s a model that has worked for the BJP in coastal Karnataka, where people like the late Pejavar seer Vishvesha Teertha Swami supported many of the Hindutva issues the BJP took up or promoted.
indicating budget strategy
Budgets by the BJP government in Karnataka usually give grants to Lingayat maths, a practice since Yediyurappa’s tenure as chief minister. But with the change in vote strategy, the focus of the budget has also changed. In February, when Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai presented his last budget of this government, there was no mention of allocation of Lingayat Maths.
Allotments were made to institutions owned by monasteries of backward classes. Eleven development corporations belonging to these sections also received comparatively more money in the budget. The government listed out in detail the projects and initiatives launched for these sections.
The party’s state general secretary Ravi Kumar said, “It is important for every community to be associated with mutts.” “That is why we are also conducting morchas (meetings) for all communities. Because we believe in the development of all communities. It is the policy of our party to meet and visit monasteries of all communities. This will also help in votes and will also bring success. That’s our strategy.”
But in reality it may not be that simple. Political analysts believe that the party may not make significant gains in terms of seats, but an increase in vote share is possible and welcome considering the long-term prospects. “There is a feeling within the BJP that the traditional vote bank is not behind them completely with the same commitment as before,” said Professor Narendra Pani, dean of the School of Social Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies.
He said a “complete transfer of votes” from the communities the BJP is now focusing on is not possible. “But every vote counts,” he said.
The BJP is the only party in Karnataka whose vote share has consistently increased in assembly elections over the past two decades. Will the backward communities help the saffron party cross the all-important halfway mark on its own this time? It depends on whether the change in BJP’s strategy also results in a change in votes.
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