As Karnataka readies to vote, all parties have their share of troubles

Bengaluru, Apr 16: Karnataka faces a crucial election on April 18 and the fates of several candidates in the southern region would be put to test.

Amidst all the hectic campaigning, there has been some amount of bickering in the alliance between the JD(S) and Congress and this has been largely restricted to two crucial seats- Mandya and Mysore-Kodagu.

This brings us to the question, whether the alliance chemistry has worked. Dr. Sandeep Shastri, leading psephologist tells OneIndia that the chemistry in general has worked, but in certain critical constituencies, there have been challenges.

If one looks at both Mandya and Mysore, it is clear that the chemistry did not translate into unity at the ground levels. Moreover these have been the most contentious seats.

The only reason, why Tumkur did not become contentious was because Deve Gowda is contesting from there.

The reason why the unity has not been visible on the ground level is because of specific factors. In Mandya the JD(S) decided to field the newest star of the family, Nikhil Kumaraswamy. This has in fact had a negative impact and the Congress feels that the JD(S) is out to liquidate it in Mandya. Further the Congress has also argued that the Chief Minister has not done enough to help the party in Mandya.

On Sumalatha Ambareesh, Dr Shastri says that she represents a legacy, which we do know if it is the JD(S) or Congress. Her husband has represented both the parties in the past.

In Mysore, Siddaramaiah who lost the 2018 assembly polls is trying to salvage the situation. Several JD(S) workers would like Mysore to Mandya. The JD(S) would say that if the Congress is not backing them in Mandya, why should we back them in Mysore.

Dr Shastri says that barring these two seats, he does not see any challenge to the unity of the alliance in any other constituency.

In the case of the BJP, it must be noted that it did not replace a single candidate who had won the last elections. Going safe may have impacted the party in certain ways. For instance many are three time MPs and the anti-incumbency factor cannot be ruled out, he also says.

In the last election, it was the Modi factor that got them the seats and how effective is that factor, we need to watch out, he adds. Dr. Shastri also adds that the lack of unity in the party is also a factor that one cannot rule out. The leadership is not in sync and has the BJP worked on these limitations? This would be crucial, he also states.