Coalition issues, lack of winnable candidates leave parties in limbo

BENGALURU: With exactly a month to go for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, the three major political parties are still scouting for candidates across the state.
Issues associated with coalition politics between JD(S) and Congress, family politics in JD(S) and lack of winnable horses in the BJP stable are hurting the three major political parties. While most BJP candidates are secure in coastal, North and Central Karnataka, the party is facing an uphill task in fielding winnable aspirants in southern constituencies of Bengaluru Rural, Mandya, Hassan, Mysuru-Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Tumakuru and Kolar.
Barring Mysuru-Kodagu, where the BJP has a sitting MP in Prathap Simha — he too 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 formidable might of the JD(S)-Congress alliance. The saffron party is hoping to cash in on disgruntled leaders from the Congress including Arkalgud Manju (Hassan) and Sumalatha Ambareesh (Mandya).
While Manju and Sumalatha are yet to openly declare their aspirations of contesting with the backing of the BJP considering their opponents are grandsons of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, the party appears to be struggling to find candidates for Bengaluru Rural and Chamarajanagar as well.
“Gowda’s name in the Old Mysuru region is still a force to reckon with,” said a BJP party worker. “In fact, last year, when the party approached former JD(S) MLA and now Congress leader HC Balakrishna to join the BJP and stand as the Bengaluru Rural candidate, he said taking on the combined might of Gowda and DK Shivakumar was a daunting task.”
In Tumakuru and Chamarajanagar, the BJP is banking on spent forces like GS 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 28 constituencies, coalition politics has forced the national party to concede key seats to its alliance partner. This is creating a rift within the party rank and file. The coalition partners are also struggling to find winnable candidates in North Karnataka constituencies such as Belagavi, Dharwad, Bagalkot, Haveri and Davanagere.
The two parties are also at a loss of strategy over the three coastal seats of Udupi-Chikkamagaluru, Uttara Kannada and Dakshina Kannada, all bastions of the BJP. Furthermore, the alliance with the JD(S) has left the Congress rank and file in tatters with the local leadership raising a banner of rebellion.
Gowda’s candidature alone has left no less than four constituencies — Bengaluru North, Tumakuru, Mandya and Hassan — in political uncertainty. With Tumakuru and Bengaluru North not considered ‘safe’ seats for Gowda’s stature, returning to his bastion of Hassan or Mandya may antagonise his grandsons Prajwal Hegde and Nikhil Kumaraswamy and could give room for family infighting.