BRS focus on 41 seats in North Karnataka

HYDERABAD: With Karnataka likely to go for Assembly elections in April 2023, BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao and JDS chief HD Kumaraswamy have begun the groundwork for an alliance. The presidents of the two parties are believed to have discussed the situation in 41 Assembly constituencies in north Karnataka, also called the ‘Gulbarga Division’ as well as ‘Kalyan Karnataka’. JDS sources said that the party has started the groundwork for the coming elections, like preparing the list of candidates as well as inviting leaders from other parties to join hands with the party in constituencies where it is considered weak.

Meanwhile, BRS sources said that the party supremo is keen to field candidates in several of these 41 Assembly constituencies as part of the alliance with the JDS. They said that KCR has focused on vote share and party-wise vote share in north Karnataka in the last Assembly elections.

KCR is likely to focus on the seven Karnataka districts that share the border with Telangana, as voters in these districts would be more receptive to BRS overtures, sources said. They said that KCR is already gathering data on the mood of the people in these seven districts, their opinion of the BRS and the expectations of the general public from the next government in Karnataka.

In 2018, the JDS won only one (Gurumitkal) of the four Assembly segments in Yadgir district, one (Bidar South) of six seats in Bidar district, and Manvi and Sindhanur Assembly seats of the seven constituencies in Raichur.

The BRS plans to focus on Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Vijayanagar, Ballari, Kalburgi and Koppal that cover 41 Assembly constituencies, as the people in these districts speak Telugu as well as Urdu and Hindi. Of these 4, people in 35 Assembly constituencies are fluent in Telugu since these areas were part of Hyderabad State till 1948.

The BRS chief wants to explain to farmers in these districts the schemes being implemented by the Telangana government like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and 24x7 free power for the agriculture sector. Sources said that the JDS has a good vote share and a majority of the farmers in these districts are favourably inclined towards it.

Kumaraswamy has been urging leaders unhappy in the Congress and BJP to join hands with his party. He had also brought along with him 10 aspirants from Ballari and Raichur to the launch of the BRS in Hyderabad.

For the record, the Congress had won 18 and BJP 19 Assembly seats in these seven districts which are called Kalyan Karnataka (north Karnataka). Political analysts expect that the voters in these border districts are aware of the Telangana government schemes and may favour a JDS-BRS alliance in the coming Assembly elections at the cost of the BJP and Congress. The JDS had bagged 14.2% of the vote which translated to 32 MLAs in the last Assembly elections in Karnataka.

The 41 seats that hold the key

The 41 Assembly constituencies are:- Bidar North, Aurad, Bhalki, Bidar South, Humnabad, Basavakalyan, Gulbarga south, Gulbarga Rural, Jewargi, Chittapur, Sedam, Chincholi, Aland, Afzalpur, Gulbarga North, Yadgiri, Gurumitkal, Shahapur, Surapura, Devadurga, Lingasgur, Maski, Raichur City, Raichur Rural, Manvi, Sindhanur, Kusthagi, Kanakagiri, Gangavathi, Yelburga, Koppala, Hospet, Hagaribimmanahalli, Hoovinahadagali, Harapanahalli, Kudlgi, Sanduru, Kampli, Siruguppa, Bellary City and Bellary Rural.

Going by the figures

BRS sources said that KCR is keen to field candidates in several of these 41 Assembly constituencies as part of the alliance with the JDS. They said that KCR has focused on vote share and party-wise vote share in north Karnataka in the last elections.

HYDERABAD: With Karnataka likely to go for Assembly elections in April 2023, BRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao and JDS chief HD Kumaraswamy have begun the groundwork for an alliance. The presidents of the two parties are believed to have discussed the situation in 41 Assembly constituencies in north Karnataka, also called the ‘Gulbarga Division’ as well as ‘Kalyan Karnataka’. JDS sources said that the party has started the groundwork for the coming elections, like preparing the list of candidates as well as inviting leaders from other parties to join hands with the party in constituencies where it is considered weak. Meanwhile, BRS sources said that the party supremo is keen to field candidates in several of these 41 Assembly constituencies as part of the alliance with the JDS. They said that KCR has focused on vote share and party-wise vote share in north Karnataka in the last Assembly elections. KCR is likely to focus on the seven Karnataka districts that share the border with Telangana, as voters in these districts would be more receptive to BRS overtures, sources said. They said that KCR is already gathering data on the mood of the people in these seven districts, their opinion of the BRS and the expectations of the general public from the next government in Karnataka. In 2018, the JDS won only one (Gurumitkal) of the four Assembly segments in Yadgir district, one (Bidar South) of six seats in Bidar district, and Manvi and Sindhanur Assembly seats of the seven constituencies in Raichur. The BRS plans to focus on Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Vijayanagar, Ballari, Kalburgi and Koppal that cover 41 Assembly constituencies, as the people in these districts speak Telugu as well as Urdu and Hindi. Of these 4, people in 35 Assembly constituencies are fluent in Telugu since these areas were part of Hyderabad State till 1948. The BRS chief wants to explain to farmers in these districts the schemes being implemented by the Telangana government like Rythu Bandhu, Rythu Bima and 24x7 free power for the agriculture sector. Sources said that the JDS has a good vote share and a majority of the farmers in these districts are favourably inclined towards it. Kumaraswamy has been urging leaders unhappy in the Congress and BJP to join hands with his party. He had also brought along with him 10 aspirants from Ballari and Raichur to the launch of the BRS in Hyderabad. For the record, the Congress had won 18 and BJP 19 Assembly seats in these seven districts which are called Kalyan Karnataka (north Karnataka). Political analysts expect that the voters in these border districts are aware of the Telangana government schemes and may favour a JDS-BRS alliance in the coming Assembly elections at the cost of the BJP and Congress. The JDS had bagged 14.2% of the vote which translated to 32 MLAs in the last Assembly elections in Karnataka. The 41 seats that hold the key The 41 Assembly constituencies are:- Bidar North, Aurad, Bhalki, Bidar South, Humnabad, Basavakalyan, Gulbarga south, Gulbarga Rural, Jewargi, Chittapur, Sedam, Chincholi, Aland, Afzalpur, Gulbarga North, Yadgiri, Gurumitkal, Shahapur, Surapura, Devadurga, Lingasgur, Maski, Raichur City, Raichur Rural, Manvi, Sindhanur, Kusthagi, Kanakagiri, Gangavathi, Yelburga, Koppala, Hospet, Hagaribimmanahalli, Hoovinahadagali, Harapanahalli, Kudlgi, Sanduru, Kampli, Siruguppa, Bellary City and Bellary Rural. Going by the figures BRS sources said that KCR is keen to field candidates in several of these 41 Assembly constituencies as part of the alliance with the JDS. They said that KCR has focused on vote share and party-wise vote share in north Karnataka in the last elections.