The big boxing bout begins.Guess who's punching whom

BANGALORE: As Karnataka wakes up to another summer of election discontent, the decibel level in our lives is slated to go up in the weeks ahead of May 5. This is not just aural noise. Instead, it's all about the clutter of the visual, the confused tonality of touch, the sense of mixed election smell, and indeed, the delicious taste of an election as well.Not to talk of the after-taste - bitter or otherwise!
Elections, after all, are very sensorial processes. Sensorial processes that affect our sense of sight, the sense of smell, the sense of touch, the sense of sound, the sense of taste, and indeed, the sixth sense. This is a lovely time to assess what each party has in store for itself in terms of imagery. Imagery cues that each party has accrued over the last five years, and in the case of one party, cues that have accrued over the last three months.
The brand position of a political party is the exact pinpointed position a political party occupies in a voter's mind at a point in time, in relation to all other parties. Let's explore the brand positions and high ground occupied by the parties now. Let's remember, every political party is a brand and its leaders are sub-brands that either embellish or rob the party of its deserving image. So, here goes a quick paintbrush imagery of the four prominent formations assembled to face the electorate.
BJP
The story so far
Here's a party in tumult. But, then, which party is not? The 'nataka' of Karnataka politics has bitten every one of them. The BJP, however, has many bites to show though. It had a clear mandate to rule. BS Yeddyurappa, the grass-roots leader, became CM. It had a good start. What followed was the politics of appeasement, rebellion of the Bellary Brothers, scams, and finally imprisonment(s). A new CM took charge. Again, we saw resort politics, brinksmanship, and another CM. Old issues cropped up again. BSY got all set to split the Lingayat vote. Brinksmanship followed. The leader quit the party he built. The KJP was born.
Brand imagery
Corruption is a non-issue; performance is. Voters strangely forgive corruption but not lack of performance. The BJP is seen as a party that squandered the popular and solid mandate given to it; it's an unforgivable image the party now has to contend with. Significantly, this is the key explanation the party's communication strategy needs to address.
Congress
The story so far
A party broken in form. While the party ruled the roost in the UPA coalition at the Centre, Karnataka remained a muddled dream of fishing in troubled waters. The efforts kept moving in a straight-line trajectory as any opposition party worth its salt would indulge in. Despite so many opportunities provided by the ruling party in the state, the party could never seize them really. A divided state leadership ensured the party's biggest competition was from within. Sadly, this continues to date, with the latest bickering on ticket allocation catalyzing it even more. Who is the real leader of the Congress party in the state, then?
Brand imagery
The Congress is fighting with itself. The party has a near sure-shot chance at governance. The party has, however, not got its act together. The party is seen to be secular. Its leaders seem to exhibit ability, but the missing element is a common weal and a common driver who all will respect, before, during and after elections. This is the key communication that the party needs to address. Manifesto apart, the party leadership needs to be defined.
JD(S)
The story so far
A party that is intermittently awake and intermittently asleep. Are there two parties really, or one? Is there a party in North Karnataka and one in Bangalore-Mysore? HD Kumaraswamy's work has been appreciated in the past at the ground level. But has Kumaranna lost out being center-stage for long? Public memory is proverbially short. The party's stand on Cauvery and Krishna waters has been appreciated by farmers. That's a plus. Is JD(S) a party that is family-led and family-managed? And has this put off a lot of leaders who have deserted it over the last five years?
Brand imagery
Confused as of now. The party needs to address key issues in the eye and move much beyond its trajectory of talking about farmers at large. Rapid urbanization is a reality and the party needs to address issues related to infrastructure and education clearly and purposefully. Just water politics may not do.
KJP
The story so far
A newborn led by an old warhorse. Yeddyurappa is possibly the only leader in the pantheon of leaders around who can be seen to be a real grass-roots leader capable of rousing the troops into action. The pity, however, is that the troops are just being assembled, and some of his key confidants still sit in the BJP. This delay might prove to be just too costly.
Brand imagery
The party needs to assemble its troops together fast. The key communication piece it needs to address is the fact that many a voter will think voting for the KJP is a waste of a vote. The typical hurdle the best of independent candidates faces in elections - voters want to vote for you but don't as they want a winner and not a loser to be the beneficiary of their valuable vote - faces the KJP as well. This is a big communication task.
The author is a brand-expert & CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc