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Campaigning in Karnataka for the Assembly elections to be held on May 10 ended at 5pm on Monday, May 8. In a final attempt to woo voters, political parties brought out their star campaigners and also staged massive road shows. There are 2,613 candidates in the electoral race for 224 Assembly seats. Among the candidates, there are 2,427 men, 185 women and one person from transgender community, according to the Election Commission.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded candidates in all 224 constituencies while the Congress has lined up 223 candidates. In one seat, Congress has extended its support to Darshan Puttannaiah in Melukote, who is contesting from Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha. The Janata Dal (Secular) is contesting from 207 seats while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has put up candidates in 209 seats.
In an effort to win the election, the Congress party has placed significant emphasis on tackling state-specific issues like rising prices and corruption. This was reflected in their well-publicised '40% commission' campaign. Moreover, the party is seeking to woo voters by promising to deliver on five 'guarantees'. The five guarantees are supplying 200 units of free electricity, Rs 2000 to every woman head of a family, 10 kilograms of grains to every person in a BPL family, Rs 3000 to every unemployed graduate and free travel to all women in regular state buses.
The BJP has been aggressively campaigning with its manifesto that promises to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and introduce the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The BJP has been promising to implement the UCC, which would replace the personal laws of different religions and bring in a uniform set of laws governing all citizens, based on the recommendations of a high-level committee to be constituted for the purpose. The party's manifesto also includes a promise to introduce the NRC to identify and deport all illegal immigrants from the state, a move that has sparked widespread debate and criticism.
Apart from these two controversial issues, the BJP has been wooing voters by highlighting the development works undertaken by the Union government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as the state government under Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The party has been emphasising its "double engine government" status, wherein it has a BJP-led government at the national level as well as in the state. The party claims this has led to faster and more efficient implementation of schemes and projects in Karnataka. The BJP has also been using the issue of the ban on Bajrang Dal, promised by Congress in its manifesto, to rally its Hindutva base.
The party has also been highlighting the use of abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Congress leaders to sway the minds of voters ahead of the Karnataka elections. The BJP has claimed that it reflects the Congress party's disrespect towards the Prime Minister and by extension, towards the people of India.
The Janata Dal (Secular), led by HD Kumaraswamy, has been running a highly localised campaign in Karnataka. Despite facing desertions and internal rifts, Kumaraswamy has managed the JD(S) campaign almost single-handedly, with party patriarch Deve Gowda taking a back seat due to his age and related ailments.
Although 89-year-old Gowda initially refrained from campaigning, he has recently travelled across the state to campaign for JD(S) candidates, particularly in the party stronghold of the Old Mysuru region. During his campaign, Gowda has made an emotional pitch, countering the attacks of the Congress and BJP against his party, which has been accused of being the "B team" of other national parties.
Despite these criticisms, Kumaraswamy has focused his campaigning on topics related to regional pride, Kannadiga identity, and the welfare of farmers and the poor. The JD(S) manifesto promises to provide free education up to the postgraduate-level for economically disadvantaged students, as well as a monthly stipend of Rs 6,000 for the unemployed.
The BJP and Congress are worried that the JD(S) is strategising to win enough seats (35 to 40) with the aim of playing a crucial role in government formation in the event of a hung Assembly.
