Karnataka, comprising 224 assembly constituencies, is scheduled to go to polls on May 10. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) have upped the ante with rigorous campaigns.
Before the elections kick off, let’s take a look at five major issues rocking the state of Karnataka.
Corruption
The recovery of around Rs 6 crore in cash from the house of BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa’s son, Prashanth in Karnataka followed by their arrests has brought the ruling BJP back under the spotlight of corruption charges. It is seen as a major setback for the ruling BJP in Karnataka, especially since the Opposition Congress has been consistently raising the issue of alleged commissions and kickbacks being paid in order to win government contracts. The Congress in the state has left no stones unturned to attack the Basavaraj Bommai government in Karnataka.
Seeking to turn the tables on the Congress, the state BJP raked up a 2017 report on an alleged residential land scam during former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s tenure.
The report, which highlights illegal denotification of land in Arkavathy Layout in Bengaluru, was never made public amid allegations of Siddaramaiah’s involvement in denotifying the land.
In the recent Budget session, CM Bommai read out portions of the report without tabling it.
Anti-incumbency
There is a clear anti-incumbency wave against the BJP government in Karnataka, a state where no chief minister has been successful in returning to office seeking a fresh mandate. While the BJP has denied any rift between CM Bommai and B.S. Yediyurappa, or BSY, there is a leadership crisis brewing as the party is still silent on committing to repeat Bommai as chief minister. BJP is relying massively on the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been touring the state extensively, and experience of BSY to pull them through.
Reservation
In what is being seen as a politically astute manoeuvring ahead of the upcoming polls, the ruling BJP government recently scrapped religion-based reservations by abolishing 4 percent reservation given to Muslims in Karnataka under 2B of Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, The party has distributed it equally among the powerful and dominant castes – Lingayats and Vokkaligas – while placing Muslims under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category. Political analysts are of the opinion that the BJP has stirred the hornet’s nest with the introduction of internal quota for different Dalit communities under the Scheduled Caste (SC) category.
Protests by Banjaras (Lambanis) — a SC sub-group in Karnataka – in Shivamogga district saw stones being thrown at the home of BSY.
Price hike
The Opposition Congress and JD(S) has beenmounting pressure on the BJP government over the hike in the prices of fuel and essential commodities. Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar has been hitting out at the saffron party for ‘looting people’ by raising taxes. Former Chief Minister and JD (S) chief H D Kumaraswamy accused the BJP government of diverting people’s attention towards sensitive issues to hide its failures in curbing rising prices.
Divisive issues
The Congress has accused the BJP of raking up divisive issues to corner Hindu votes and divert attention from governance issues, while the BJP has accused the Congress with indulging in minority appeasement politics like the introduction of the four per cent reservation for Muslims in the state to drum up support.