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The BJP’s plan of going all out in the Old Mysuru region, which has always seen a fight between the Congress and the JD(S), seems to have paid off as early trends showed the saffron party winning 10 of the 66 seats. A Vokkaliga bastion (who constitute about 15 per cent of the population), the JD(S) was predicted to do well and won 28 seats, while Congress, which won 25 seats in the region in the 2013 assembly elections, was reduced to just 17 seats.
Considered one of the most important regions of Karnataka, the southern region has played an important role in the formation of the state government in earlier elections. With BJP never tasting much electoral success in this region, this year Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off his campaign from the Chamarajanagar district.
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Surprisingly, despite the region being the home turf of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the Congress leader lost by 36, 042 votes in Chamundeshwari constituency. The CM, though, won in his other seat Badami, which falls in the Mumbai Karnataka region and was pitted against BJP strongman Sreelamulu. In Mandya, the epicentre of the raging Cauvery debate, JD(S) candidate M Srinivas won comfortably, with Congress’ Ravi Kumar at the second spot. However, the BJP upset JD(S)’ calculations in Hassan, where the saffron party candidate Preetham Gowda won by more than 13,000 votes.
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Former Congress chief minister S M Krishna’s defection to the BJP last year was the beginning of the party’s efforts to gain entry into the Old Mysore region. He is a Vokkaliga from Mandya district and seems to have helped the party in balancing perceptions that BJP is Lingayat-dominated.
BJP had laid special emphasis in the southern region of the state to improve upon its performance. In 2013, the party won a mere two seats – its tally was even below the ‘others’. This time, however, several Union ministers campaigned in Hassan, Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts. It seems the resentment among the Vokkaliga camp against Siddaramaiah has benefitted the BJP.
