Coalition troubles, family politics and lack of winnable candidates makes parties scout for candidates

BENGALURU: With exactly a month to go for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, the three major political parties in the state are still scouting for candidates across the state.
The troubles associated with coalition politics between JD(S) and Congress, the family politics in JD(S) and lack of winnable horses in the BJP stable is hurting the three major political parties.While most of BJP candidatures are secured in coastal, north and middle Karnataka, it is facing an uphill task to field winnable aspirants in the southern constituencies of Bengaluru rural, Mandya, Hassan, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajnagara, Tumakuru and Kolar.
Barring Mysuru-Kodagu, where the BJP has a sitting MP in Prathap Simha, who is said to be on a sticky wicket within and outside the party, the saffron party is facing difficulties in finding the right Vokkaliga candidate to take on the might of the JD(S)-Congress combined forces.Disgruntled leaders from the Congress including Arkalgud Manju (Hassan) and Sumalatha Ambareesh (Mandya) are a key factor which the BJP is hoping to cash-in.
While Manju and Sumalatha are yet to openly declare their aspirations with the backing of the BJP, considering their opponents are grandsons of former PM H D Deve Gowda, the party appears to be finding no possible candidatures for Bengaluru rural and Chamrajnagar as well.
“ Gowda’s name in the old Mysuru region is still a force to be reckoned with. In fact, earlier last year, when the party approached former JD(S) MLA and now Congress leader H C Balakrishna to join the BJP as Bengaluru rural candidate, he said taking on the combined might of Gowda and DK Shivakumar was a daunting task,” said a BJP party worker.
In Tumakuru and Chamrajnagar, the BJP is banking on spent forces like G S Basavaraju and V Sreenivas Prasad to secure a seat for the saffron party.“
For the Congress-JD(S) alliance, despite the grand old party having aspirants across the 28 constituencies, the coalition politics has forced the national party to concede key seats which is creating a rift within the party rank and file. The coalition partners are also struggling to find winnable candidates in north Karnataka constituencies with a vaccum in Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkote, Haveri, Davanagere.
The two parties are also at loss of strategy over the three coastal seats of Udupi-Chikkamagalur, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada, the bastions of BJP.
Furthermore, the alliance with the JD(S) has left the Congress rank and file in tatters with local leaderships raising a banner of rebellion.
Gowda’s candidature alone has left no less than four constituencies of Bengaluru north, Tumakuru, Mandya and Hassan in political uncertainity.With Tumakuru and Bengaluru north not considered as a “safe” seat for Gowda’s stature, returning to his bastion of Hassan or Mandya may antagonise his grandsons Prajwal Hegde and Nikhil Kumaraswamy, thereby giving room for family infighting.