Karnataka polls: It is going to be battle for survival for Congress, BJP and JD(S), says analyst Sandeep Shastri

BENGALURU: “The battle for Karnataka is a battle for survival for Congress, as a loss would mean losing one of the only two big states where the party is in power and aiding Prime Minister Modi’s goal of Congress-mukth Bharat. It is a battle for survival for JD(S) too, while for BJP, the result is equally important as a loss in Karnataka could have an impact on the assembly elections in BJP- ruled states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh later this year.

It could also change the dynamics of national politics ahead of Lok Sabha election in 2019,” said political analyst Sandeep Shastri. A victory for BJP could further marginalise Congress in Indian politics which could hasten the anti-BJP forces to cobble-up a broader coalition to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.

Though State JD(S) president HD Kumaraswamy claims he can bring the party back to power on its own strength, the reality is that the party would be more than happy to settle for the role of a “kingmaker” if the election throws up a hung assembly, a likely scenario according to some pre-poll surveys.     
The state has seen bitter campaigning by both the Congress and BJP with tit-for-tat charges against large-scale corruption.

The significance of this election can also be gauged from the fact that leaders of these parties, including PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi and BJP’s Amit Shah, visited the state many times over the past few months heating up the political atmosphere.  The visits also led to war of words with Modi calling Siddaramaiah ‘Seedha rupaiya’ and a ‘10% commission government’ and the Karnataka CM hitting back saying that NDA is 90% commission government’ referring to the bank scams.