BJP sweeps Karnataka, ruling coalition in tizzy

Bengaluru, May 23 

Facing a rout in the Lok Sabha polls, numerically shaky Congress-JDS government in Karnataka led by HD Kumaraswamy appeared to be at the cusp point amid fears that the outcome would have a bearing on its stability.

Badly mauling the Congress and JDS, the BJP has pulled off a spectacular electoral feat, winning 25 Lok Sabha seats, leaving one each to be shared by the coalition partners and an Independent.

A complete sweep by the saffron party has caused tremors within the ruling coalition, which has been facing existential crisis right from the day it formed the government a year ago.

It was exactly one year ago that Kumaraswamy was sworn in as head of the coalition government after heightened political drama that saw BS Yeddyurappa, the leader of the single largest party BJP, resigning as Chief Minister of a three-day old government, unable to prove his majority in the assembly.

Kumaraswamy’s swearing in on May 23, 2018 saw a galaxy of top leaders and regional satraps in a rare public show of unity, perceived as a possible harbinger of a broad-based anti-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Exactly one year after that historic get together of leaders of non-BJP parties, that later came to be known as “mahagatbandan”, results of Lok Sabha polls on Thursday saw Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA storm back to power with an emphatic win, completly negating their “Modi hatao” agenda.

Equally important will be its impact on the longevity of the Kumaraswamy led coalition government here.

Almost all stalwarts of the ruling coalition, including JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, veteran Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Veerappa Moily and KH Muniyappa faced defeat in the polls.

Kharge was defeated by BJP’s Umesh Jadhav in Gulbarga by a margin of 95,452 votes. Popularly known as “solillada Saradara”, (a leader without defeat), this was the first electoral loss in Kharge’s political life spanning several decades.

The development has cast its shadow on the future of the coalition as the alliance’s stability itself is at stake.

It has been a turbulent one year for the government that came into existence as Congress and JD(S), arch rivals in the old Mysuru region, came together to form a coalition as the May 2018 assembly polls threw up a hung verdict.

Coalition worries, dissidence in alliance partner Congress and a strong BJP with 104 MLAs allegedly trying to poach MLAs of the ruling alliance, repeatedly aiming to destabilize the government marred the smooth functioning of the government.

Putting up a brave face, coalition leaders decided to jointly fight the LS polls and reached a seat sharing agreement of 21 and seven seats for the Congress and JD(S).

It was a two phase polling of 14 constituencies each on April 18 and 23 in which BJP contested in 27 of 28 seats and supported Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya.

Kumaraswamy conceded defeat and said he respected the mandate of the people.

“Our party has seen many victories & losses over the years and party workers need not lose heart on this loss. Let us strive to strengthen the party in the days ahead,” the Chief Minister tweeted.

The BJP in Karnataka said it would “wait” and see how the ruling coalition partners, Congress and JDS, would spar in public before deciding its next step following its spectacular electoral feat.

As the BJP swept the Lok Sabha polls, casting a shadow on the coalition, an upbeat state party chief B S Yeddyurappa said Congress and the JD(S) have to decide their future course of action.

“The decision has to be taken by the leaders of Congress and JD(S). We will first wait to see how the two coalition partners fight and spar in public and then we will see what can be done next,” Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

The Karnataka assembly has 224 members, in which BJP has 105 MLAs, Congress-78, JD(S)-37, BSP (1),independent (1) (both currently supporting the ruling alliance), KPJP (1) and Speaker. — PTI

Big blow

JD(S) patriarch and former PM HD Deve Gowda was defeated in Tumkur constituency by his BJP rival by a margin of over 13,000 votes. GS Basavaraj secured 5,96,127 votes while Gowda got 5,82,788 votes.