Southern Slice | PM Modi, Shah as Stars & a Dash of Infra, Culture. Will BJP’s K’taka Script Be a Hit?

From visits within days of each other, election yatras from opponents’ strongholds, unveiling statues of Lingayat and Vokkaliga icons, to using deeply rooted southern cultural icons, historical figures and movies, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP’s election strategist and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have their target set and locked — to strengthen the BJP’s Hindutva message in Karnataka.

The Opposition in Karnataka has been crying hoarse about “the BJP’s desperation”, as the state unit is completely relying on the two heavyweights, Modi and Shah, to push the BJP towards electoral success.

Unmindful of these opposing voices, the BJP’s power duo has begun an all-the-more aggressive plan, with back-to-back visits and a high-voltage campaign strategy that has left the Opposition fuming and uneasy.

The Congress, which has raised the pitch of the electoral battle with their campaign against the “corrupt” BJP, also called the PM “a quack” for inaugurating “half-baked projects in the state to gain mileage in the elections”.

THE VISITS

Shah and Modi will visit Karnataka back-to-back to launch a series of development and irrigation projects in the area dominated by the Lingayats, a community that has traditionally supported the BJP, and tap the farming and rural vote bank by announcing the launch of irrigation projects worth Rs 2,800 crore.

Shah’s visit on March 24 and 26 and Modi’s visit on March 25 are dotted with events that have a special focus on North and Dakshin Kannada regions — the two bastions that the BJP is holding on to, apart from trying to create inroads in the Congress-JDS strongholds in south Karnataka.

The BJP’s organizational presence in Dakshin Kannada has been strong since the early 1970s. The BJP has made a significant impact in the Kittur Karnataka region, while districts such as Raichur, Bijapur and Bidar have given the Congress the upper hand.

From Shah’s unveiling of statues of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Bengaluru founder Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda and Lingayat social reformer Basaveshwara, to PM Modi’s inauguration of the much-awaited Metro line from KR Puram to Whitefield, a route mainly used by software professionals, all events have a certain symbolism attached to them.

“Shah is visiting Karnataka during the elections only with a political motive. He is doing it only for votes and power,” said Leader of Opposition Siddarmaiah.

‘K FOR KARNATAKA’

With one eye on North Karnataka and the other on Dakshin Kannada, both regions being the party’s strongholds, the BJP heavyweights have left no issue untouched to appease their voters.

“K for Kantara, K for Karnataka” — Amit Shah’s statement after watching the box office blockbuster Kannada movie ‘Kantara’, talking about how the film helped him learn a lot about the state’s deeply rooted cultural heritage, especially Dakshin Kannada, was another concerted attempt to bridge the North-South divide.

Even as the state unit of the BJP remains confused about the outcome of the upcoming elections in Karnataka, Modi-Shah duo is in a no-compromise mode. The party is “hell-bent” on gaining power once again in the southern state and is leaving no stone unturned to come back with a win.

WINNABILITY

The regions of Dakshin Kannada and large parts of Kittur and Kalyana Karnataka have been in the BJP’s kitty, but what seems to hurt the top leaders the most is the ‘non-performance’ by several sitting MLAs, who not only fear they will be dented by their electorate, but are also unsure of getting a ticket, sources say.

“Winnability is a huge factor in this election and there is no space for chances. The target is beyond 140 seats and there can be nothing less than that, states the brief given to us. We are striving hard to finalise such candidates. One should also not upset the social apple cart, so it is all the more difficult this time,” said a senior BJP leader on the internal developments of the Karnataka’s ruling party.

BJP insiders agree that the face of the upcoming election will once again be PM Modi and leaders such as B S Yediyurappa and chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, among others, will play the role of a catalyst.

In Bommai’s words: “The Modi tsunami is sweeping the state.”

The statement remains a clear indication of who is at the forefront of this do-or-die election.

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