Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’s beginning his marketing campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Karnataka’s Kalaburagi and Shimoga on Saturday, is sending twin messages to 2 sections of society – scheduled castes and Lingayats, which have been steadfast supporters of the BJP previously.
Kalaburagi, or Gulbarga, is a reserved seat and the bastion of Congress nationwide president Mallikarjun Kharge, who shouldn’t be contesting this time. Regardless of that, the prime minister desires to ship a transparent message by taking over the opposition INDIA bloc in Kharge’s yard.
Kharge had received this seat in 2009 and 2014, however misplaced to the BJP’s Umesh Jadhav in 2019 by a margin of greater than 95,000 votes. The Congress, which is in energy in Karnataka after a thumping victory within the 2023 meeting ballot, is hopeful about successful over 10 seats within the basic elections. The social gathering had managed to win solely the Bengaluru rural Lok Sabha seat in 2019, represented by DK Suresh.
Prime Minister Modi’s focus in Kalaburagi is prone to be to assault Kharge and his social gathering’s dedication to the SC group.
This a part of the Hyderabad Karnataka area has all the time been a stronghold of the grand previous social gathering, however a big part of the SCs there belong to the Madiga group that’s popularly referred to as the left sect. The Madigas are extra in quantity than the Holeyas, which is the proper sect to which Kharge belongs. However, socially, economically, and educationally, the Madigas are extra backward than the Holeyas.
After the BJP’s poor efficiency in northern Karnataka, together with Kalaburagi, within the 2023 election, the PM’s go to can even ship a message to the constituents in addition to the cadre within the area that the BJP is “very critical about elections”, mentioned political analyst A Narayana.
On March 18, PM Modi shall be in Shimoga to honour former CM BS Yediyurappa, who created the social base of the upper-caste group of Lingayats to turn out to be a mass chief. By campaigning on this Lok Sabha constituency, he shall be showcasing the BJP’s dedication and help for Yediyurappa’s supremacy.
Popularly often known as BSY, the political veteran had single-handedly introduced the BJP to energy within the state in 2008. He had additionally ensured that the saffron social gathering received 25 out of a complete of 28 Lok Sabha seats within the 2019 polls. Yediyurappa’s elder son BY Raghavendra has additionally been renominated for the fourth time from this seat.
Shimoga is within the Previous Mysore area, in contrast to Kalaburagi that’s in northern Karnataka. The dominant group on this southern phase are the Lingayats, who’ve historically supported the BJP.
“The BJP fought a weak election within the Gulbarga area, the stronghold of Mallikarjun Kharge and his minister son Priyank Kharge. Regardless of the BJP’s last-minute efforts to woo the Dalits on this space, which is taken into account a Dalit heartland, the BJP has not been doing too nicely. The struggle in Gulbarga is between the Lingayats and Dalit OBCs. This can be the opposite purpose why Modi selected this seat to kickstart his marketing campaign,” Narayana mentioned.
On campaigning in Shimoga, the political analyst mentioned the BJP and Modi are sending a message to the social gathering cadre that although southern Karnataka is their stronghold and, in a high-octane election comparable to this, there’s a want to guard their bastion and work unitedly.
“Modi desires the social gathering to additionally domesticate recent floor within the Hyderabad Karnataka area and acknowledge the help that the BJP has loved,” he mentioned.
The state BJP additionally expects Modi to ship a transparent message throughout his go to in Shimoga to these social gathering leaders who’re upset by the ticket distribution. They need his go to and potential assembly with senior social gathering chief KS Eshwarappa to be a message that the social gathering stands by them and must wait within the wings for his or her likelihood.
Upset on being denied a ticket for his son Kanthesh, Eshwarappa has been considering fielding him as an impartial candidate from Shimoga. He had been demanding the Haveri Lok Sabha seat, however the BJP excessive command gave it to former CM Basavaraj Bommai.
Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge advised News18 that Modi, who’s the “solely campaigner of the BJP”, may have chosen anyplace to start out his marketing campaign, however selected Kalaburagi. That is presumably to ship a robust message to the south to not reject him, he mentioned.
He additional mentioned Modi desires to inform the voters that he’s within the Congress chief’s yard, and that the BJP loves the south. “All of us noticed how PM Modi was made to marketing campaign throughout Karnataka through the meeting ballot like he was campaigning for a municipality election and, regardless of that, the outcomes for the BJP have been devastating. Modi’s confidence is severely dented and that’s the reason he has taken this step,” he added.
Karnataka BJP spokesperson Capt Ganesh Karnik mentioned in contrast to the meeting election, the place Modi travelled extensively within the state, he won’t have the opportunity to take action this time as it’s a nationwide election.
“The concept is to re-energise your entire cadre from north to south. This go to will get the social gathering cadre to leap into election mode and canopy two necessary areas of the state,” he mentioned.
The BJP mentioned the speeches by Modi in Kalaburagi and Shimoga may have robust messaging for the opposition as nicely, particularly within the background of the Citizenship (Modification) Act (CAA).
