They are the star campaigners of their parties but obviously both have widely different style and approach. While the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is no doubt an incisive and intelligent communicator, his political rival, the chief minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah is a shrewd and astute strategist.
If Modi is unmatched in reaching out to the people through his speeches and oratory, Siddaramaiah is confident that his stratagem would sway the voters away from the BJP.
There is a general perception in the urban middle class and especially among the BJP cadres and state level leaders that once Modi picks up the thread and starts talking to the people through his rallies, the situation would make a dramatic shift in favour of the party.
Some senior leaders feel that the bickering surrounding denial of ticket to son of party’s chief ministerial candidate B S Yedurappa would not have any impact what so ever at the ground level. In a damage control move party has made him the general secretary of its youth organisation, Yuva Morcha of the state unit.
Nevertheless, Siddaramaiah is also ready to face the BJP challenges. For some time he appeared to be losing its grip on the people of the state and the political spectrum getting split on the lines of south and north Karnataka. The people, particularly the intellectuals nursed the feeling that Siddaramaiah was ignoring the north to the benefit of the south.
In contrast to Yedurappa the corruption charges against Siddaramaiah failed to inflict damage and catch the imagination of the people. But the people accuse him of ignoring the development interest of Karnataka. He was sitting over the development fund. Twenty year old image of chaos and mismanagement has been revived in the minds of the local people.
Only three days before, he turned this bitter criticism to his advantage. Before the elections were formally announced, Siddaramaiah was to contest from two seats. But under public scrutiny and attack from the party leaders he chose to contest from one seat. But in a sudden shift of strategy he decided to contest from Badami a north Karnataka constituency.
But this time he cited to do away with the regional imbalance he is contesting from north Karnataka. He said, “my candidature is an extension of the concern of my party for resolving the regional imbalance.”
While talking to his legislators from Karnataka Narendra Modi emphasised on the need for their close interaction and relation with their electorate at the booth level, the Congress chief minister tried to project himself as the icon of development.
People hold that during his tenure no significant development work has been undertaken. Though funds are not a problem, he is not keen to bring the development on ground. A decade back the intellectuals and business men had charged the then government of ignoring the interest of the people and the state. The situation is no better today. Long traffic snarls and jams have made the life hell. No serious effort is made to ease the crisis.
However the people feel notwithstanding their annoyance with Siddaramaiah, he cannot be written off. One thing is quite significant that BJP has not succeeded in making a strong of corruption against him. Intriguingly the corruption charges still haunt Yedurappa. This was the reason that the was little bit reluctant to field his son.
Siddaramaiah has beaten back the anti-incumbency. His SC-backward-minority alliance remains intact. What is really bad for BJP is party’s CM candidate B S Yeddyurappa has not succeeded in placing himself as his rival. People of Karnataka view the current election as a battle between Modi and Siddaramaiah
Hindusthan Samachar/Arun/Shri Ram Shaw
