JD(S) reclaims Vokkaliga bastion of Old Mysuru after setback in state polls
JD(S) was condemned for joining hands with the “communal” BJP, which was blamed for the “impact” on its vote base, but now the theory has been proved wrong
As the Lok Sabha election results pour in, it seems the Janata Dal (Secular), which faced a massive defeat in the Karnataka Assembly elections only a year ago, has regained its strength in its bastion of the Old Mysuru region. At the same time, the party has helped its alliance partner BJP in its strongholds.
The JD(S), under the leadership of former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, has bagged two Lok Sabha constituencies in the Old Mysuru region — Mandya and Kolar — and helped the BJP win four others — Bengaluru Rural, Mysuru, Chikkaballapur, and Tumkur.
JD(S) resurgence in Vokkaliga base
JD(S) lost its home turf Hassan to the Congress, partly owing to the leaked videos in the Prajwal Revanna sex scandal case, while and BJP lost Chamarajanagar to the Congress because of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s AHINDA vote bank.
Siddaramaiah’s close friend minister HC Mahadevappa’s son Sunil Bose had a support base in the constituency, making his win easy. However, JD(S) made a resurgence in its Vokkaliga base, even though Congress leader DK Shivakumar had ensured an equal fight.
Assembly poll shock
The fall in JD(S)’s vote share in the Vokkaliga heartland in the Assembly elections was a concern for the party. It was condemned for joining hands with the “communal” BJP, which was blamed for the “impact” on its vote base. However, now the theory has been proved wrong.
As part of the NDA, JD(S) had wanted to contest at least five seats — Mysuru, Mandya, Bengaluru Rural, Tumkur, and Hasan. However, it got only three seats after struggling to prove its strength. But the BJP also has a state-level leadership crisis, and it was because of the JD(S) that it bagged the seats in the Old Mysuru region.
The defeat in the Assembly elections, the Congress’s massive victory, and its continuous effort to reach the people through the five guarantee schemes brought the BJP and JD(S) close. The experiment of joining hands in the Lok Sabha polls has shown that the JD(S) is stronger than the BJP when it comes to facing the Congress in this region.
Prajwal case
Most importantly, Kumaraswamy has, for now, succeeded in saving his party from the damage done by his nephew Prajwal Revanna and his brother HD Revanna in the sex scandal case, which also affected the BJP.
Kumaraswamy has constantly claimed that leaking the sex videos just ahead of the election was Shivakumar’s “conspiracy” against the Revanna family. For now, it seems to have worked.