K’taka looks forward to that decisive vote from you

Five years, three chief ministers and all three political parties in power! That in a nutshell sums up the ‘fractured’ nature of Karnataka politics in the past two decades.

Unlike other south Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, stable governance is something that has eluded the Kannadiga, primarily because there are three major political forces in the state – the Congress, BJP and JD(S).

Has this three-cornered Karnataka tussle benefited the state in any significant measure? Or has the failure of the major parties in all elections since 2000 to secure a clear majority on their own, except the 2013 Assembly poll, taken a heavy toll of developmental activity?

It is a question every Kannadiga will have to ask as the state votes to usher in a new government in the hope that their dreams and all that has been promised by each party, bear fruit.

Fractured verdicts and unstable governments no doubt lead to ineffective decision making – and a lot of corruption for those on whom the future of the government depends, are prone to exploit the weaknesses in the power structure to further their selfish ends. And those at the helm are wary of acting against these maverick politicians involved in unsavoury acts fearing that the stability of the government will be jeopardised.

We have seen senior politicians accused of scams, virtually holding the government to ransom while demanding their reinstatement and this is something that no citizen worth his salt would like to see repeat.

Unstable governments have become the norm in Karnataka – in 2004 after a hung verdict, the venerable Dharam Singh became CM with (JD)S support, only to be toppled two years later. Another coalition was cobbled together, headed by HD Kumaraswamy with the BJP’s Yediyurappa as his deputy but that lasted for just one year.

In 2008, Yediyurappa swept to power but lacked the numbers for a stable government and so the usual game of horse trading was resorted to, and the BJP mustered enough support to carry on the show.

The only reason why the Congress party was able to buck the trend in the 2013 polls and form a government with a comfortable majority was the split in the BJP. Yediyurappa walked out to form his own outfit just because he was removed as CM on account of the illegal mining scam and the BJP was left with a paltry 40 seats.

Coalition politics was back to dominate the scene in 2018 with Kumaraswamy becoming CM with Congress support, only to be toppled by a group of Congress and JD(S) MLAs who backed the BJP. The rest is history with BSY becoming CM but not for long and being replaced by his shishya, Basavaraj Bommai in 2021.

Another split verdict – and the poaching and defections it brings – is something Karnataka can ill afford; it’s time to get on with transparent and result-oriented governance after the many scams and scandals of the past.

And corruption is something that we are tired of – the state has had enough of them from the PSI scam to the huge commission in government projects.

Can we look forward to a government with a difference this time – made up of dependable and approachable politicians whom we can trust to deliver? Or will it be the same old story of a lot of empty rhetoric and hollow poll promises that disappear into thin air once the electoral process is over?

Karnataka and Bengaluru in particular, are waiting for much-needed succour and hoping that this time the verdict will be for clean and good administration. Let’s not let down this lovely state of many greats that has played a pioneering role in every sector from IT and biotech to defence and health.

Let’s make sure we vote, and vote for those who deserve to govern us.