While Yeddyurappa will ride out the zilla panchyat/taluka panchayat poll scare, the real star of the polls is JD(S), which surged at the expense of the Congress.
The zilla panchyat/taluka panchayat results are out, and no party can claim to have the upper hand. The ruling BJP, which was expected to win big, has come up with a lacklustre performance, while the JD(S) made significant gains in the hinterland at the expense of the Congress.
BJP emerged victorious in 12 of the 30 ZPs, while the Congress and JD(S) bagged 4 ZPs each. Zilla panchayats in 10 districts have thrown up hung verdicts. In the taluk panchayat polls, too, the BJP was unable to secure a clear majority as it won only 68 TPs out of the total 176. Congress won a majority in 31 TPs, while the JD(S) won 29 TPs. Independents won majority of seats in 2 TPs, while 46 TPs delivered a hung verdict.
For BSY, present secure, future imperfect
He promised loans to farmers at one percent interest, free education till degree level to all girls in villages and subsidy for diesel for irrigation pump sets. It should have worked, but it didn’t.
The dull performance by the BJP— the party almost lost the ZP seat in Shimoga, the backyard of Yeddyurappa—in the polls has given chief minister BS Yeddyurappa something to think about. It could have been worse for the CM had the party performed even more poorly; but thanks to a dismal performance by the Congress and the division of Opposition votes, the BJP was able to get away. BSY can rest easy, at least for now.
Reddys in red
If Yeddyurappa is heaving a sigh of relief, the Reddy brothers have been jolted by the poll verdict. The BJP failed to gain a clear majority in Bellary Zilla Panchayat as the electorate delivered a hung verdict with the BJP winning 18 of the 36 seats, while the Congress and JD(S) bagged 17 and 1 seat respectively.
Congress also scored a morale-boosting victory in Harapanahalli TP which is part of the assembly constituency represented by Karunakara Reddy. The defeat will put the Reddys on the back foot; but this arrangement will suit Yeddyurappa just fine.
HDK in top gear
You can never write-off Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy; that is the lesson of the ZP/TP polls. JD(S) has not only won, 4 ZPs and 29 TPs on its own, but is also in a position of strength to come to power in several more panchayat bodies by joining hands with the Congress. HD Kumaraswamy’s relentless efforts to dig out the alleged land scams involving the chief minister and his family members seems to have paid dividends with the JD(S) eating into the political space previously occupied by the Congress.
Congress in coma
Whether it is the bypolls or the panchayat polls, the Congress party is showing no signs of arresting the slide. the panchayat verdict has only compounded the party’s woes. The Congress now has to rethink on its strategy and identify its main enemy: is it the BJP or the JD(S). The rise of JD(S) would inevitably lead to further erosion of the Congress’ base; the BJP, too, would be happy to seize any opportunity to further marginalise the Congress.
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