Early polls: Who will have the last smile?

Has Congress state president DK Shivakumar let the cat out of the bag by revealing that there is a thinking (in the BJP) to advance the Karnataka Assembly polls to November instead of holding them as scheduled in April-May next year?

The saffronists are no doubt upbeat after scoring an impressive victory in four of the five states which went to polls in February-March and if Shivakumar is right, they could be dreaming of repeating their runaway success in Karnataka too. Voters’ moods could change dramatically in the span of a few months and so the BJP’s poll managers might be wondering if they should take a gamble by dragging the polls to next year when the tide might change?

But does everything look as hunky-dory as it seems in Karnataka where the party had to cobble together a majority after luring JD(S) and Congress legislators in 2019? This is not a state where the Congress is in shambles like in Uttar Pradesh; on the contrary, the Congress after many years, espies a chance of seizing power on its own riding on the popularity of leaders like former CM Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, provided their tussle for the CM post does not wreck its prospects.

What could add to their chances is the growing disenchantment with the ruling BJP. After the ageing BS Yediyurappa gave up his seat for the new CM, Basavaraj Bommai, many expected the Shiggaon MLA to metamorphose into an aggressive leader who would fit into the shoes of his predecessor but that has not happened so far. All that the BJP government has to show by way of ‘achievements’ in the past eight months is a series of controversies which include the anti-conversion bill, the hijab row, the saffron flag row triggered by KS Eswarappa and the latest one over halal meat. Can controversies which could be cleverly used as a tool for polarising communities, be enough to win the mandate in a largely educated state like Karnataka where people are looking for performance and for better infrastructure to improve their living standards?

Bengaluru’s roads have a long way to go to provide a safe ride while water and power supply are as always, crippled by shortages or maintenance work. Elsewhere in the state, the smiles have disappeared with the Covid pandemic wreaking havoc on lives and livelihood. Spiralling prices, particularly of fuel, have added to the agony of the common man in both rural and urban Karnataka.

So who’s the winner if polls are held in November, barely eight months from now? Has the Bommai government done enough to win the trust of the masses or is the state BJP waiting like always for PM Modi to give them a much needed push at the finishing line when the polls are due?

Can the Congress put the bitter infighting and controversies of the past behind it and start with a clean slate by presenting a decisive and united leadership before the people? There is no state where the party stands a better chance of coming to power. But to move from 69 odd seats to 113 in the state Assembly is a tall order and it remains to be seen if Congressmen can achieve what looks next to impossible.