Lessons for poll-bound Karnataka

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

There is just a year left for the Karnataka polls and the biggest lesson no doubt for all three parties is: work for people’s welfare. Shyam Sundar Vattam reports.

Politicians in Karnataka have been keenly watching the elections in five states and the results, which have sent many a veteran politician packing, are a grim reminder that it’s development and the ability to fulfill promises that matter more than anything else to the voter.

There is just a year left for the Karnataka polls and the biggest lesson no doubt is for the ruling BJP-that without development, it is not possible to win the hearts of the electorate. Congressmen will have to learn that over-confidence, complacency and infighting may prove costly for them and the JD(S) must realise that dynasty politics is passe and it faces the risk of getting rejected by voters.

The common lesson for all three parties: work for people’s welfare or else a new political outfit may take their place as it happened in Punjab where the Delhibased Aam Aadmi party (AAP) surprised everyone by winning 92 of the total 117 seats.

The message is loud and clear: Perform or perish for there are alternatives and people are no longer carried away by traditional parties with long years of history.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the Karnataka unit of AAP is yet to become a force to reckon with as it is in Delhi or Punjab. The AAP candidates did not make a dent in the 2018 Assembly polls despite some educated candidates contesting to bring in change. They were rejected by voters then but the party is not sitting idle and is working out a strategy to start its political discourse from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) polls scheduled to be held in a few months from now.

The AAP is likely to test the waters in the BBMP polls before plunging into the Assembly elections at least in wards with a good number of educated voters. Till recently the electorate did not have many choices except for a couple of recognised national parties but now there are new players in the arena giving voters an opportunity to think beyond traditional parties.

Everyone laughed when Arvind Kejriwal became Delhi CM since he was a novice to politics and hardly knew the basics of administration. But it did not take much time for him to understand the nuances. The voters of Delhi re-elected the AAP for its stellar performance in the first term ignoring the Congress and BJP and the party is still going strong in Delhi.

In Karnataka, regional outfits like AAP and Trinamool Congress are yet to emerge on the political scene. But If Kejriwal wants to enter south India, the best bet would be Karnataka in general and Bengaluru in particular which has educated voters in good numbers. The recent polls saw voters rejecting the freebies given by parties and instead demanding good governance sans corruption. They know quite well that politicians spend money to buy votes and later ensure they get their money back through commission from public works for which the taxpayers’ money is used!

If the ruling BJP headed by Basavaraj Bommai is really keen on returning to power, they will have to carry out the maximum development possible within the next one year as done by Bommai’s Uttar Pradesh counterpart to woo voters. Bommai will also have to start to fend for himself and seek votes based on the work done by him in the state instead of begging for votes tom-tomming the work done by the Modi government. There is no fall in corrupt practices among netas and bureaucrats and unless stern action is taken against them no matter what caste or community they belong to, corruption could be the talking point when polls are due.

The BJP manifesto had promised that the institution of Lokayukta would be strengthened by shelving the Anti-corruption Bureau but nothing of the kind has happened. Bommai’s ministers are hardly seen in their respective districts resolving the problems of citizens who are forced to go to Bengaluru for every work. More importantly, the CM must stop passing the buck and take responsibility for the mistakes committed by his government.

As for the Congress, party leaders would do a lot of good to themselves by not assuming that they are within striking distance of power because of the faults of the BJP government. Infighting is a big bane of the party and must be curbed totally as it will eat away votes due to a possible conspiracy among leaders. The opposition must also be careful not to appease any particular community as it will be beneficial for their rivals to cry foul and polarise votes.

Personal attacks among Congressmen must stop and they must realise how powerful the popular adage, ‘United we fight and divided we fall’ is. Punjab is enough of an example that voters do not favour politician