Will Uppi's new party make a difference this time?

Kannada actor Upendra had forayed into politics in 2015 with the hopes of bringing a political revolution, but even after eight years, Uppi, as his fans fondly call him, has not been able to make a significant impact in state politics.

He floated Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party (KPJP) along with D Mahesh Gowda in 2015 and officially launched the party in 2017. He started reaching out people through social media. He came up with videos, explaining how he wanted to bring a change in politics.

He used to have conversations with experts on specific subjects to make people understand that development can be achieved through 'Prajakiya', a socialist concept as opposed to 'Rajakeeya'. His videos went viral and raised a lot of debates around his concepts, like his films.

Especially, his concepts used to get a positive response from youngsters and from urbanites although political parties never took his party seriously. There was a view among the common public that KPJP was a b-team of BJP as Upendra had openly expressed his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a surprising turn of events, Upendra backtracked from contesting the 2018 Karnataka Assembly polls and walked out of his own party citing differences with other members of the party. However, the party's R Shankar defeated Congress candidate Krishnappa Koliwad in the Ranibennur assembly seat by 4,338 votes.

A year later, Upendra then floated his own Uttama Prajakeeya Party with 'autorickshaw' as his party symbol. His party contested all 28 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, but failed to leave any impact.

Will Upendra's UPP Make a Difference in 2023 Karnataka Polls?
Even after so many years, Upendra has failed to leave much impact on the voters. Although his concepts are usually liked by people, his popularity has waned in the last few years. Also, his decision to not contest polls has made people not take him seriously.

Historically, voters in Karnataka have never voted on an actor's stardom like in Tamil Nadu or Andhra Pradesh. Being a Brahmin, caste factor has not also been in his favour. In fact, his part-time politics has failed to convince the voters in the state where caste plays a big role.

Even this time, Upendra is giving TV interviews rather than travelling across the state as the countdown has started for the announcement of poll dates. It will be a miracle for him and his party to leave any impact in the upcoming elections.