Big is better but can it win Cong a poll?

If the size of the organization is what determines a party’s poll fortunes, the Congress party has definitely secured an edge over the ruling BJP in Karnataka by appointing as many as 40 vice-presidents and 109 general secretaries ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls!

The party has given fair representation to all sections and has appointed 23 women as office-bearers besides ensuring a judicious mix of the old and new generations. It has tried to get its community equation right by doling out posts to leaders from all communities. Now that everyone seems happy, the Grand Old Party can go about the task of taking on the BJP.

But is this all that is needed to beat the saffron party at a time when the BJP is on a euphoric high having won four of the five states which went to polls in FebMarch? The divide between the majority community and the minorities in Karnataka is deepening because of a series of controversies including the hijab row, halal meat controversy and the demand for a ban on Muslim traders from temples among others. Polarisation is at work and the biggest challenge the Congress will face as it firms up a battle strategy for the polls is how to keep the majority Hindu community in good stead even while making sure a substantial chunk of minority community votes fall into its kitty.

Till a few months ago when none of these controversies had erupted, there were many who saw a bright chance for the Congress to return to power making the best of the failings of the Bommai government. The fact that the Congress could win one of the two bypolls last year, had created a feeling that it was on the comeback trail.

But the many controversies have queered the pitch and no one is quite sure which way the Hindu voter is likely to tilt. Which also explains the studious silence leaders like KPCC president DK Shivakumar have been maintaining on the many controversies.

The Congress leader knows better than anyone else that Karnataka is a state where caste and community make all the difference in most constituencies and a wrong step or a careless statement could irretrievably damage poll aspirations. As for BJP leaders, they are smugly smiling watching the controversies polarising the state like never before.

So does the Congress take an aggressive stance against right-wing elements at the risk of antagonizing voters of the community? Or should it lie low for now hoping that these rows will die out and the focus of the voter will return to development? It is a choice party leaders will have to make and it’s going to be none too easy with the BJP sure to play the Hindutva card to the hilt as the polls approach.