BJP banks on Modi charisma, confident to retain mandate in Karnataka

MYSURU: Even as campaigning for the May 10 polls ended on Monday, the BJP is feeling confident of retaining the mandate for governance in Karnataka thanks to the election-winning charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose slogan of “double engine” governance found, the party believes, traction in several constituencies.
Interactions with the people in the state showed that most of the people were convinced with the integrity and performance of Modi, who spoke about “double engine” delivery in most of his poll rallies.
“The atmosphere was like Mysore Dussehra when PM Narendra Modi took out the roadshow here. He is one man army doing so much for the country,” said Anil Kumar, a grocery shop owner at the circle near the Mysore Palace.
He, however, was disappointed with all three parties including BJP, Congress and the JDS. “If I vote, it’s only because of Modi,” Kumar said.
BJP cadres were galvanised in the last phase of campaigning with PM Modi leading from the front focusing on issues like Bajrang Dal and “Kerala Story” after which party leaders are expecting strong polarisation of the Hindu votes.
A priest at the nearby Ganesha temple, Ramraja, cited the Congress pledge to ban Bajrang Dal as a reason for being upset with the opposition party and for pledging his support to the BJP. He mentioned several development projects also carried out in the past few months including the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway as a reason to support the BJP.
However, a shoe shop owner, Ganesh Rao, says that the Congress in Karnataka has done better in the state and his vote will go for the party.
The successful execution of central welfare schemes is seen as a reason why BJP strategists are expecting a positive verdict. They assert, compared to opposition-ruled states, Karnataka has witnessed significantly better implementation of flagship welfare schemes. As most of the schemes have a direct impact on the lives and health of the women, they are seen by the party as “silent voters” for them as was witnessed in Bihar and other states of the country.
The presence of a double-engine government has also resulted in a big push for infrastructure projects that were stalled under the Congress and the BJP has successfully communicated this to voters.
The completion of the Bidar-Kalburgi railway line, the initiation of the Bengaluru suburban railway project, the completion of the long-pending Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway, the expansion of the 411-km Bidar-Kalaburgi-Bellari Highway and the construction of more than 6,000 kilometres of rural roads in the state have helped the party garner support from both urban and rural voters.
Krishna projects have also created a positive sentiment amongst farmers.