The return of 76-year-old former Congress Chief Minister and former Maharashtra Governor S M Krishna to active politics in Karnataka, ahead of Assembly polls, has injected a sense of vitality into Karnataka politics. Given the poor performance of the Congress in the 2004 polls under Krishna’s leadership, the big question, however, is whether this vitality will translate into votes for the party from an electorate that is divided on caste lines. On his return to Bangalore last week, Krishna stated that he was back to complete the “unfinished job” of 1999 when the Congress was handed a proper mandate. He claimed the 2004 loss, following five years of governance under his leadership, was merely a break in a job started in 1999.“My perception is that the people of Karnataka are fed up with coalition politics, especially of the last three years. They will vote for stability and prosperity,” Krishna said in his first media interaction on his return to Bangalore.The former CM, who is often credited by his supporters with putting Bangalore on the global map, also returned to one of his pet themes — that of making Bangalore a new Singapore.“We saw Singapore as a benchmark for Bangalore. But Government and administration alone cannot help achieve that mark, the people who live here have to make it happen,” Krishna said. He also criticised the failure of successive governments since 2004 to provide decent connectivity to Bangalore’s new international airport.“The connectivity to the new airport has been a cruel joke. When we planned the airport, the connectivity had been contemplated. Why have successive governments since 2004 not addressed this?” he asked.With the number of Assembly seats from Bangalore urban constituency set to increase from 15 to 28 following the delimitation exercise, the former CM’s return and his opening remarks are being seen as a sign of the Congress eyeing votes.Though Krishna has dwelled on rural accomplishments from his tenure and UPA schemes like the NREGA and farm loan waiver, the key to his influence is believed to be in urban constituencies in the state.The south Karnataka region or the old Mysore region is another area where Krishna as a leader with roots in the dominant Vokkaliga or Gowda community of the region could play an important role in swinging votes for the Congress — from the Janata Dal Secular and its Vokkaliga patriarch Deve Gowda.Following news of Krishna’s return to active politics, Gowda had stated that he was ready to slap thighs (in reference to a kabaddi-like battle stance commonly attributed to people from the south Karnataka region) to confront Krishna.Krishna has, however, stated that he is not into thigh slapping. “The Congress has plenty of people who can do it,” he said.However, the former CM is expected to do a lot of thigh-slapping while confronting opponents within his own party since top-rung leaders whose positions and aspirations are under threat have not been too welcoming.
