Karnataka takes centre-stage

With the campaign for the Karnataka Assembly elections coming to an end on May 10, the stage is set for polls on May 12 and results on May 15. In less than a week, the nation would know which party Karnataka's voters have chosen to rule their state. All the three main contenders to power – BJP, Congress, and JD(S) – have expressed their confidence in winning the election with a majority. But, it is widely believed that the main contest is between Congress and BJP. The two parties are locked in a close contest on most of the seats. As per an opinion poll, BJP has a slight edge over Congress but it is unlikely to get a full majority on its own. Though, at this stage, BJP has ruled out an alliance with JD(S), but after the elections the party may try to rope in JD(S) for an alliance. Depending on the number of seats Congress wins in this election, it may also try to forge a post-poll alliance with JD(S) to form its government. For many reasons, the Karnataka election is being watched with keen interest by opposition politicians and political analysts across the nation. They have pointed out that during the election campaign, both Congress and BJP, have ignored local issues. They have also ignored key national issues that should have been debated during the campaign trail. Both the parties have resorted to mocking one another. By deserting the issue of economy and employment, they have left the intellectual class without any food for thought. Congress president Rahul Gandhi, during the initial phases of the election campaign, had tried to raise some of these issues but in view of the constant mockery of his leadership by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, he eventually shifted his focus. He too resorted to dubbing the BJP leadership as a gang of Gabbar Singh, Sambha, and Kalia. While it suits the BJP leadership to divert the attention from key issues, it may not help Congress, which needed to highlight the achievements of Siddaramaiah's five-year rule in the state. By constantly attacking Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family during the election campaign, BJP has tried to ensure that Rahul Gandhi and Congress emerge as the chief political opponent of Modi. After a series of setbacks in the recent Assembly elections, the Congress's ability to take on the BJP on a national level is considerably undermined. It needs to align with other opposition parties before it is able to put up a credible fight against Modi and BJP. In an election rally, former Congress President Sonia Gandhi had tried to respond to BJP's charges. She said that Modi's speeches cannot fill the empty stomach of the poor. And, during an interaction, Rahul Gandhi has affirmed that he is a Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2019 election.