Reality Bites

With a clear result looking more and more unlikely, all parties are keeping ‘back channels’ open

- Aravind Gowda

The last 10 days before polling day witnessed dramatic flipflops by all political parties in the Karnataka assembly elections: Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to praising former PM H.D. Deve Gowda even as he exhorted crowds not to vote for the Janata Dal (Secular). Gowda’s son and former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who had consistently claimed that the JD(S) would emerge as the single largest party, changed tack and started talking of possible post-poll alliances. While all this was happening, the ruling Congress led by chief minister Siddaramaiah, quietly started backchannel negotiations with the JD(S).

If the opinion polls are a pointer, Karnataka’s voters simply can’t agree on a single party this time like they did while electing Siddaramaiah and his flock in 2013. Party insiders say both the BJP and Congress are resigned to the “reality” that the polls will throw up a fractured verdict. Publicly, of course, both parties continue to claim that May 12 will be an “easy victory”.