Changing tack in Old Mysuru, BJP lowers heat on JD(S), doubles down on Congress

Kicking off the BJP’s poll campaign from a Mandya rally on December 30, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had attacked the Congress as well as the JD(S), accusing them of being “ATMs” of the Gandhi and Gowda families respectively. Slamming both the parties, Shah had called them “communal, casteist and criminal”.

Since then, however, top BJP leaders appear to be fighting shy of going after the JD(S), keeping their guns trained on the principal Opposition Congress, especially in the rallies held in the crucial Old Mysuru region.

This was apparent in PM Modi’s Mandya meeting, where steering clear of attacking the JD(S) he tore into the Congress. Earlier, at a rally held by the BJP in the region’s Hassan district on February 21, the party’s national president JP Nadda ignored the JD(S) while keeping the Congress in line of his fire.

The JD(S) and the Congress have traditionally dominated politics in Old Mysuru, with the BJP now aiming to garner more seats in the region in the upcoming polls. In the 2018 Assembly polls, of the 51 seats in the Old Mysuru region excluding Bengaluru city – comprising districts such as Ramanagar, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Hassan, Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and Bengaluru Rural – the BJP had won 12 seats as against the Congress’s 18 and the JD(S)’s 20 seats. Of Bengaluru city’s 28 seats, the BJP had then won 15 as against the Congress’s 12 seats and the JD(S)’s 1 seat.

The BJP’s lacklustre performance in the Old Mysuru region has often proved to be a hurdle in the party’s bid to clinch a clear majority in the state polls.

There may be various factors behind the BJP’s cautious approach towards the JD(S) in the region. There is a view in state political circles that by not hitting out at the JD(S) the BJP is treading a safe path in anticipation of a possible alliance with the regional party in the event of a hung Assembly.

It is widely believed that the saffron party fears a backlash from the Vokkaliga voters if it launches a full-scale offensive against the JD(S) led by ex-PM HD Deve Gowda, acknowledged as the tallest Vokkaliga leader, and his son H D Kumaraswamy.

Three months ago, the state BJP had gone to town hailing the “friendship” between Modi and Deve Gowda, after the two met in Delhi during the winter session of Parliament.

However, subsequently, Shah’s attack on the Gowda family was said to have not gone down well with local people in Mandya and surrounding districts, even as it triggered a counter-attack from Kumaraswamy.

“We have decided not to attack any individuals. If one leader makes a controversial statement, the party has to respond with 10 statements clarifying our stand. Such statements ahead of polls can hurt our prospects,” said a senior BJP functionary, who requested anonymity. At an internal meeting Monday, the party also cautioned “four or five” state leaders in this regard, who make such statements regularly.

“If we attack Deve Gowda or Kumaraswamy, then some people will be hurt. It won’t benefit us,” the BJP leader said, citing the example of senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah, whose criticism of the JD(S) and its leaders in the 2018 polls was said to have then damaged his party’s prospects.

Such a BJP’s strategy is aimed at seeking votes from the Vokkaliga community by ensuring that its prominent faces in the JD(S) are not hurt. “This approach will help us gain the trust of the dominant community in old Mysuru and will also keep our alliance options open after the polls,” another BJP leader said.

While the BJP leadership is trying hard to clinch a majority on its own steam, it has also been discussing other options to form the government. The party had adopted a similar strategy in 2018, using its firepower to ensure the Congress’s defeat and letting the JD(S) win some more seats, BJP sources claimed.