JDS may further hurt Congress in Old Mysuru region?

JDS has strategically planned this 100-km roadshow in the Vokkaliga heartland as the party garners maximum number of seats in the districts of Ramanagara to Mysuru.

In the run-up to the Karnataka election, the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), which is fighting to retain its relevance in the State politics, is now set to unleash its 'ultimate saviour' - party patriarch and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda - on a 100-km open vehicle yatra to conclude his son and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's 'Pancharatna Yatra'. Deve Gowda, who will turn 90 on coming 18th May, will have to travel through the heart of the Cauvery delta region between Kumalagod in Bengaluru to Mysore on 26 March.

Interestingly, this rally is being held just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the State, during which he will attend several programs in Chikkaballapur, Bengaluru and Davangere. Noteworthily, JDS has so far held 236 gatherings and covered 90 constituencies as part of its pre-poll campaign.

Speaking to the media, JDS spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed said, ''We have got good response from all constituencies. However, we have got tremendous response in Hassan, Chikkmagalur, Tumkur, Mysuru, Mandya and Raichur.'' While BJP and Congress started their campaign in 2022, JDS has covered the longest distance, the Quint quoted the JDS leader as saying.

It is imperative to note here that the party has strategically planned this 100-km roadshow in the Vokkaliga heartland as the party garners maximum number of seats in the districts of Ramanagara to Mysuru. The party is expected to cash in on the fact that JDS is the only regional party in the fray in Karnataka and foregrounds the shortcomings of both BJP and Congress.

The Old Mysuru region has 89 Assembly seats including Bengaluru and is spread across 11 districts in South Karnataka - Mysuru, Hassan, Mandya, Chamarajnagar and Kolar. In this region, the Vokkaligas, who form a critical part of the voting pattern in the State, by and large favour the JDS.

In the 2018 polls, JDS won 7 out of 31 seats in the Old Mysuru region while Congress won 20 seats. However, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, JDS won only one seat in the region while Congress won three.

It is difficult to predict the exact impact that JDS will have on Congress in the Old Mysuru region in the upcoming elections. However, it is likely that JDS will continue to pose a challenge to Congress in areas where it has a strong presence, particularly among the Vokkaliga community.

Congress, on the other hand, has been trying to regain its lost ground in the region by focusing on issues such as regional identity, farmer distress and unemployment. Whether these efforts will translate into electoral gains for the party remains to be seen. Ultimately, the election outcome will depend on a range of factors, including candidate selection, alliances and voter sentiment.