PM Modi resets Karnataka campaign to stall Siddaramaiah's momentum

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone into a campaign reset in middle of the election battle in Karnataka. His morning speech on Thursday to his workers changed the tone and tenor of the Karnataka campaign. Unlike Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat where campaign was built around Pakistan, national security and cemetery, his speech was focused on the issues of developmental work done by his government. The message focussed on hard data. Modi's speech was a comparison between his work of 4 years and work of the Chief Minister for the same period in context of Karnataka. 

 Why did he do so? For the simple reason that BJP is finding it difficult to handle Siddaramaiah on his own pitch. Congress has built its campaign around social sector schemes for poor and backward castes, sense of regional pride revolving around flag, language, monetary injustice to the state and acknowledgement of Lingayats as separate religion. The Lingayat issue has become a thorn in BJP's flesh and for this reason PM without going into the detail accused Congress of caste hunting in every election. 

Siddaramaiah’s campaign also revolves around his personality. It exudes the confidence of a strong regional leader who has the capacity to take on the might of Delhi Durbar. Similar narrative was successfully milked by Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The water of Narmada turned into an issue of injustice. Similarly, Siddaramaiah has turned the issue of funds for the agricultural sector into an issue of perceived injustice to the state. Modi too championed regional pride as CM, so all efforts by Congress to prick holes in Gujarat model failed. 

 Modi that way has taken a risk. He is focusing on developmental issues. In fact, his speech for his workers went into the details of toilet construction, LPG connection, road, medicine, agriculture and even startups. He actually number crunched. But from electoral perspective, BJP in Karnataka has been left with no choice. 

 Even Yeddyurappa has failed to campaign like a regional stalwart. The electorate believes  BJP President Amit Shah is calling all the shots unlike Siddaramaiah who has successfully cultivated the image of a leader who is impervious to the machinations of the Delhi based leaders. The message is that Siddaramaiah gets on with Congress leadership. Though Yeddyurappa has been given prominence in posters with Modi and Shah but it has not achieved that standing in people’s eyes.

It is for this reason, BJP is trying to shift goalposts to development and work done by the centre. Though Modi in his speech said that he is a proud Kannadiga but it will take more from BJP to turn around this election. Till now BJP has only been responding to the Congress campaign. Barring Bengaluru civic issues, its campaign has not created the buzz. If they want to wrest Karnataka then BJP will have to strike an emotional chord with voters as to why they should be voted back as elections are purely anchored around emotive issues like identity, pride and justice.