JD(S) in for a tough challenge, as BJP ups ante in Old Mysuru Region

The BJP has upped the ante in the Old Mysuru Region, where it has traditionally been weak. Elections in Karnataka are due in April-May.

The elections in Karnataka will be a tough one for all parties, with fast changing equations.

For the Janata Dal (S) it would be a tough battle ahead as both the Congress and BJP are pushing very hard for the Vokkaliga votes. The JD(S) thrives on this vote bank and in every election that it has done well, the Vokkaligas have given the party a tremendous backing.

The Vokkaligas are largely centred in the Old Mysuru Region. Since the inception of the JD(S) it has won nearly 70 per cent of its seats from this region. The fact that in the 2008 elections the JD(S) won 27 seats of which 19 were from this region is a testimony of how reliant the JD(S) on the Vokkaliga votes. In the 2018 elections, the JD(S) won 37 seats of which 31 were from the Old Mysuru Region.

The fight in the Old Mysuru Region has always been between the JD(S) and Congress. The BJP is not dominant in this region and has largely focused on the votes in Northern Karnataka and coastal Karnataka. However this time the BJP is trying to make major inroads in this region as the failure to do so has always ended up with the BJP falling short of the majority mark.

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah while sounding the poll bugle for the BJP said that if the party had to win big, it needs to do well in the Old Mysuru Region.

With the BJP never being a major player in this region, the JD(S) was always in a direct fight with the Congress. The JD(S) in fact has done better than the Congress in this region.

This year may be different for the JD(S). The BJP is going all out and the Congress is leaving no stone unturned.

Congress leader, D K Shivakumar has appealed to the Vokkaliga community that if the party wins, they would have him as the chief minister of the state. Shivakumar is from the Vokkaliga community, which forms around 14 per cent of the state' population.

This time around the Congress would also have to deal with the BJP. All top leaders of the BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi has heavily focused on this region. The inauguration of Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda's statue, the road show in Mandya are all directed at winning over the voters in the Old Mysuru Region.

Additionally the BJP has nearly 200 seniors working on the ground for the past year and a half. In the days to come, the BJP will amplify its campaign further, which could also be worrisome for the JD (S). If the BJP is successful in its endeavour for this region, then it will split the Vokkaliga votes, which will directly affect the JD(S).