BJP tests Modi appeal in Karnataka; political economy awaits orator
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, May 10: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s dependence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to win elections is well-known. But the Karnataka poll has revealed the desperation of the BJP to rise the brand Modi. This is despite the fact that Karnataka ticks most of the economic growth boxes.
A day after the electioneering came to an end and the silence period, Modi was out again with his video message to thank the people of Karnataka for showering affections – with truckloads of marigold petals.
On the day of polling in Karnataka, Modi was holding a roadshow in Nathdwara, famous of Lord Krishna temple. Television and the social media handles of the BJP amplified Modi again being showered with yellow petals by the people in the Rajasthan city. Assembly election in Rajasthan is still months away.
Visibly, the BJP was excessively dependent on Brand Modi for the Karnataka poll. He held roadshows in Bengaluru for two consecutive days, besides a little over two dozen rallies.
Political observers are of the opinion that achievements on the economic fronts are inadequate to dictate the campaign mood. The BJP in Karnataka wanted the poll plank to be development and the double engine government.
But course correction after the top brass of the party gathered that the ground situation is slippery, and emotive issues needed to be pushed hard to the centre stage of the election campaign.
With Union Minister for Home Affairs Amit Shah guiding the shift in the poll plank by first latching on to the Muslim reservation issue, the saffron outfit ended the campaign with chants of ‘Jai Bajrang Bali’. The authorship of the chant belonged to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, but it was Modi who was raising it in Karnataka.
For the month of April, Karnataka contributed over Rs 14000 crores to the GST collections in the country. Karnataka for three months had logged in over Rs 10,000 crores monthly GST collections. Karnataka had also pipped Gujarat to take the second spot in the GST collections.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had presented over Rs 3 lakh crore state Budget weeks ahead of the date of the Assembly election. Karnataka also had delivered a high growth in per capita income, from Rs 1.86 in 2019-19 lakh annual to Rs 3.02 lakh in 2022-23.
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