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.