Bharatiya Janata Party State president B.S. Yeddyurappa, who is spearheading the party’s campaign for the upcoming byelections to three Lok Sabha and two Assembly seats, says the BJP is poised to upset the ruling coalition’s political calculations by winning a majority of seats. He is also hoping for a “surprise” outcome in favour of the party in Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, which is a stronghold of the Janata Dal (S).
In an interview with The Hindu, he predicted that dissidence would reach its peak in the ruling coalition soon after the bypolls. Excerpts:
What are the main issues in these byelections according to you?
The achievements of the Narendra Modi government form our main plank in the Lok Sabha bypolls, and we are appealing to voters to strengthen Mr. Modi’s hands by supporting the party in the bypolls that precede the 2019 general elections.
Of course, the ‘failure’ of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government on all fronts is the main issue in the Assembly seats. While their main pre-poll promise of waiving farm loans is yet to materialise, the government has failed to take up any major development work on the field. This has disappointed people so much that even the poll meetings addressed by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy are seeing thin attendance.
Also, the dissidence within the allies, which is evident with most Congress leaders missing from the action in Mandya and Shivamogga, will work in our favour.
What are the chances of the BJP in the elections?
We are confident of winning Ballari and Shivamogga Lok Sabha seats as well as the Jamkhandi Assembly seat. We could also throw up a surprise result in Mandya.
Will the results of the byelections be an indicator of the 2019 outcome?
Definitely. They will serve as an indicator of the people’s mood ahead of 2019.
Will there be any political impact on the ruling coalition if there are any upsets in the results as predicted by you?
Wait and see. Dissidence in the ruling coalition is bound to reach its peak after the bypolls. This will lead to great political instability. So much so that one can’t say anything about the survival of the government.