Return
to Story Page
To print: Select File and then Print from your
browser's menu
Man Ranjit U
Bangalore, Sept 6: With the first round of elections in Karnataka over and parties gearing up for the second phase on Saturday, the overall trend still remains fluid.
Indications are that while LS polls may see the BJP-Janata Dal (United) combine emerging victorious with a large chunk of 28 seats, the assembly polls could end up being a close contest. The third main party in the fray - Janata Dal (Secular) does not pose a major threat except in certain areas like Hassan and Mysore.
The focus of attention in the first round of polls was centred on Bellary, where Congress president Sonia Gandhi faced a formidable challenge from BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. In the second round, the emphasis is more on whether the BJP would be able to keep the saffron flag flying in areas like Mangalore, Kanara, Shimoga and Chikmagalur. The party had virtually swept the LS polls last time in these regions and is expected to do well this time around also.
The Congress is pinning its hopes on Mandya, the hometown of its partypresident SM Krishna, Kolar and Hassan. The JD(S) sees its only victories coming from Mysore, Chamarajnagar and to some extent Hassan, the hometown of Deve Gowda.
North Karnataka may very well be the deciding factor in this elections also. It is a paradoxical fact that this region, which had always proved to be the `decider' but never the favourite for `development'. Denial of a railway zone for Hubli, setting up of a high court bench, insufficient power, water, poor roads, continue to plague this region. While the early mood and sentiment in areas like Hubli, Dharwad, Koppal and Raichur was clearly in favour of BJP, the Congress has made deep inroads into Chitradurga and Davangere.
What could tilt the balance in the state is the `caste factor'. With a large number of castes spread across the state, it is the regional factors that may come into play rather than party loyalties. While the Congress is expected to bag a majority of the Muslim and backward community votes, the BJP is banking on the sizeableLingayat votes. The JD(S), on the other hand, sees its strength in Vokkaligas.
A look at the manifestos of the three main parties also reveals that their main priority vis-a-vis business is IT. All the parties talk about making Bangalore-Mysore-Hassan as a hi-tech triangle to promote IT and telecommunications. They also stress on SSIs, infrastructure development, self-sufficiency in power. Revamp of tax structure is another common point with all the parties.
The elections could also in many ways prove crucial to the political fortunes of many senior state leaders, prominent among them being Union commerce minister Ramakrishna Hegde and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. The fortunes of chief minister JH Patel, Congress leaders like SM Krishna, S Bangarappa and Veerappa Moily are also at stake.
Battle of the bottle
The spirited contest for the 224 state assembly seats may well just be that with observers cynically counting on the strength of alcohol to tip(ple) the scales. In Karnataka,pleasure at the time of polls, comes in small sachets of liquor that flows freely on the eve of voting. Party-time has come to acquire literal overtones with most of the players in the political arena spilling over each other to serve the voter. And how! Senior party leaders have gone on the record saying they would outdo the Congress in wooing the electorate thus. The Congress is, however, believed to be smug in the belief that it knows the people's tastes. The results will speak volumes for the service to the people.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
------------------------------------------------------------
This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
------------------------------------------------------------