CONGRESS'S NORTH-SOUTH GAME CAN DIVIDE THE COUNTRY

The Lok Sabha elections may see former Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai moving to national politics,as he is contesting from the Haveri constituency, a BJP stronghold.

- PRATUL SHARMA

Son of former Karnataka chief minister S.R. Bommai, the 64-year-old engineer-turned-politician started his political career in the Janata Dal, and he moved to the BJP in 2008.

Bommai has no doubt that the Modi factor is the most important force in the election, and it is the key to success in Karnataka, as the past 10 years have created a huge number of beneficiaries of Central government schemes. Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ How do you asses the political situation in Karnataka?
A/ We are very strong in northern Karnataka, central Karnataka and, of course, coastal Karnataka. With the tie up with the Janata Dal (Secular), we have become a formidable force in southern Karnataka. We are confident that we will retain what we had got last time, 25 of the 28 seats.

Q/ The Congress claims that the atmosphere is favourable to it.
A/ The Congress is living under that illusion because of the advertisements and the government machinery it is using. But, on the ground, people are saying that bringing the

Congress back [in the state] was a mistake. Development has totally stopped. Their achievement is zero.