Are the mass defections in Karnataka helping the Congress?

The last minute defection in Karnataka has kept all parties on their toes.

Political parties in the poll-bound Karnataka are in fact bracing up for more last minute defection ahead of the Election Commission of India announcing the poll schedule.

The spate of defections are likely to hit the BJP and JD(S) the most. Local media reports say that most of the defectors are siding with the Congress. Defections take place when leaders sense a whiff of which way the trend is.

However one must note that defections do not always signal that a party is on a winning streak. If one takes the West Bengal scenario, the defections had early any impact on the Trinamool Congress Party, which went on to win with ease.

Local media report say that many who had hopped into the BJP to help it form the government in the last term are likely to go back to the Congress.

Baburao Chinchansur and Puttanna, two sitting BJP MLCs have quit the party ahead of the Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023, scheduled to be held in March.

The BJP has said that these defections will not affect its prospects in the upcoming elections. The party is strong and we are confident that we will win, Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai had told reporters.

The defection bug is not being faced by the BJP alone.

JD(S) MLA from Arsikere, Shivalinge Gowda has already announced that he would be joining the Congress. Based on the decision of my leaders and well-wishers in my constituency, I have decided to join the Congress, he said.

A T Ramaswamy from Arkalgud also said that he was quitting the JD(S). He however remains undecided on which party he would be joining. The same is the case of K Srinivas Gowda, the JD(S) MLA from Kolar. Gowda who had defied the party's whip in the 2022 Rajya Sabha elections has made it clear that he would be joining the Congress.

The big question is whether these defections will benefit the Congress in Karnataka or not. The defections currently appear to be benefiting the Congress in terms of theatrics. However there is stiff resistance from within the party to allow such persons to join the party. The complaint is that these persons had ditched the party and helped the BJP form the government. Hence they should not be allowed into the party as they could switch sides again.

There is also this immense suspicion in the Congress camp that these defections may be engineered by the other side. Engineering such defections could help the rival camp come to power in the event of them coming to power.