Published 20:10 IST, December 9th 2019
Did Siddaramaiah’s statement of no tie-up with JDS cost Congress the Karnataka bypolls?
Congress leader Siddaramaiah's statement that his party wouldn't tie-up with JDS at any cost seems to have negatively impacted the voters in Karnataka bypolls.
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Just days before the polls, Siddaramaiah had said that post the results, BS Yediyurappa will have to step down as Chief Minister of Karnataka. Then, reporters promptly asked him whether Congress will join hands with JDS to form the government. To this, he said that it was not possible at any cost. This, even as several leaders of his party had forthrightly said that they are not averse to reconsidering the alliance with JDS to ensure the state does not have to once again face elections.
Conflict within Congress on supporting JDS
Several senior leaders from Congress, like Mallikarjun Kharge, G Parameshwara, and Veerappa Moily, have already expressed their eagerness towards allying with the JDS. Veerappa Moily also added that if the ruling BJP fails to secure at least eight seats, the current government will crumble and in order to avoid fresh elections in the state, coalition 2.0 would be in everyone’s interest. This open conflict within senior leaders of the Congress party over the future course of action caused the voters to ask themselves a crucial question. While the Congress was already facing an uphill task, this ambiguity pushed the voters even closer to the ‘stability’ pitch by the BJP. The voters seem to have wanted to avoid the burden of the state having to face elections again if the BJP did not win the required number of 6 seats.
Opposition campaign lost steam
If history is any indication, bypolls in Karnataka have often swung in the direction of those in power. The additional advantage of snatching the opposition parties’ strongest candidates for each of those constituencies worked in BJP’s favour. The Congress which began the campaign with much gusto lost steam very soon, with their infighting taking over. Except for Siddaramaiah, other leaders did not fight with their full might.
Rebel legislators win with huge margins
But the uncertainty of not knowing if their votes will bring a stable government or will usher in another election in the state caused the voters to consolidate in favour of the previously disqualified MLAs, most of whom won with large margins on Monday. The negative campaign against the rebel legislators and the BJP accusing them of betrayal did not give either assurance or hope to voters who had seen nothing but political volatility for over 20 months. Siddaramaiah’s statement just hours before the crucial polling gave the message that voting for opposition parties is a futile exercise.
19:18 IST, December 9th 2019