BENGALURU: Even as teams in the
IPL cricket
tournament battle it out for top honours across the country, political parties in Karnataka are fighting their own T20 contest. The ruling JD(S)- Congress combine and opposition
BJP have set themselves a target of 20 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. But, just as home team Royal Challengers Bangalore are struggling for a win even after the first four outings, there’s much scepticism if the poll rivals can touch T20.
With polling for 28 seats scheduled in two phases on April 18 and April 23, BJP state unit president BS Yeddyurappa has been claiming that his party will easily win more than 20 seats because of the Modi wave. Leaders of the Congress and JD(S) believe that together they can restrict BJP to single digits, and they will reach the target.
Complete coverage: Lok Sabha elections 2019However, the T20 target appears a bit unrealistic for both rivals given their recent form and past scores. Though no BJP leader will admit to this publicly, for obvious reasons, many, in private conversations, agree that their leaders are either too optimistic or are deliberately talking up the scores to motivate the cadres.
Notwithstanding the euphoria around its performance in the last assembly elections when it won an unprecedented 104 seats, BJP faces an uphill task in the state with Congress and JD(S) coming together, especially in South Karnataka. The other big challenge is winning the 17 seats it won last time and in places once considered their stronghold.
For Congress-JD(S), T20 talk appears to be poll rhetoric. “How else do you justify such ambitions when it’s struggling to counter the BJP on social media? Both parties are yet to get their team combinations right,’’ said a worried senior Congress leader, quite reminiscent of RCB’s captain Virat Kohli’s comment when asked about his team’s dismal showing.
Despite being in power, Congress in the 2014
Lok Sabha polls
, managed to win just nine seats. The JD(S), which struggled to find candidates to contest in the eight seats it got in the seat-sharing agreement with the Congress, had won just two seats. This time, it’s hoping to improve its strike rate by piggybacking on senior partner Congress. It’s already on a sticky wicket in strongholds Hassan, Mandya and Tumakuru and the growing distrust among the two frenemies could have a major impact on the combine’s final tally.