Mathihalli Madan Mohan
Senior Journalist and Columnist
Hubli 580032
Wave in Karnataka
Hubli, 21st
Apr 2014
It can be
confidently said that there was indeed a wave in Karnataka, which has resulted
in higher poll turn out in the just held poll for 28 loksabha seats from the
state, though the cause of wave is a debating factor, which can be resolved
only when the counting begins next month.
One of the
frequently asked question during the days preceding polling was whether there
was a wave in Karnataka, with the two main averring it to be so, with the BJP
attributing to prime ministerial
candidate Narendra Modi, while Congress alluding to performanance of the one
year old government of Mr. Siddaramaiah. Others dismissed it as saying that
there were no visible signs of wave.
The poll turn
out on 17th confirmed that there was indeed a wave, which
was more subterranean than visible, and swept Karnataka as unobtrusively as
possible. For the Karnataka voters bucked the tendency of a lower turn out in
parliament poll separately held and what
was noticed was record turn out with two thirds of the electors turning up at
the polling booth on their own despite
the scorching sun in most of the area, dispelling the impressions that polling
day having been sandwiched between the series of holidays, would have an
adverse effect on polling, with most of them in urban areas especially in Bangalore going out on a
holiday instead of exercising the prerogative conferred by the Constitution.
Even in Bangalore, which has four parliamentary constituencies, there was a
comparatively a higher turnout though turn out failed to reach the sixty
percent mark as has been seen in constituencies outside Bangalore.
It has been a
common experience that poll turnout in a loksabha election, when separately
held is always lower than the assembly elections. This is mainly because of the
lower intensity of the electioneering. And some of them, who have not voted for
the national parties, have a tendency to stay away from the booths. But lower turnout notwithstanding, the two
national parties tend to get higher electoral support, because of another
tendency noticed of the voters who had not voted for the national parties in
the assembly election veering round to either of the national parties in a
parliament poll.
There were
indeed other factors, which would induce lower turn out. For the electioneering
by the parties, hardly raised any new issues or debates on ideological plane to
enthuse the voter. The two political
rivals, the Congress and BJP, involved in no holds barred tussle for occupying
the Delhi throne, ran a campaign, which was full of invectives and mutual
recrimination, which caused more nausea than anything. Their manifestos had
hardly anything new and credible to offer. The performanance of the Congress
led government at Delhi and Bangalore, the latter being just one year old, had
hardly anything to crow about. The BJP was still trying to regain the credibility which had it lost
due to its misrule for which it was punished by the electorate in the assembly
elections last year and was bravely trying to put a united face by bringing
back home Yeddyurappa and Sriramulu, There were many who had serious
reservations about the outcome of this exercise, which was more a political necessity
for survival than meeting of the minds.
That the two
parties, were unsure of their image was
evident from the manner in which both of them enlisted the service of the
celluloid star for mobilization of crowds and road shows, which only proved to
be photo opportunity for them, rather than bridging the growing disconnect between
parties and the people in
general. The only sign of a higher turnout
was the phenomenal increase in the enrolment of the new voters, which stood at
a whopping 25 lakhs within a year of the assembly elections in Karnataka, with
15 lakhs having joined the electoral roll within the three month period
preceding the poll.
It has been
the common experience that the lower turn in parliamentary election singly held
is always on the lower side. The normal gap is put around 5%. In the present
context with Karnataka having 461 lakh electorate one percent means 4.61
lakhs. Though in the ultimate analysis,
the gap in the turn out voters between the assembly and parliament election
could not be bridged but had been considerably reduced. While 312 lakh people
had exercised their franchise in the assembly election, around 309 lakh voters
did so at the just concluded loksabha poll. The gap was less than one percent
of the electorate, which is quite heartening indeed.
. In eleven of the
28 parliamentary constituencies, namely , Belgaum, Gulbarga, Bellary,
Dharwad, Udupi -Chikmagalur, D Kannada,
Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore
Central, Bangalore South and
Chickballapur, the voting in the
loksabha election was much more than what was noticed in the 2013
assembly election. It ranged from the highest of 1.26 lakhs in Bangalore South,
where a key fight is on between Ananth Kumar of the BJP, on to his sixth term
in a row and Nandan Nilekani, of Congress, the software wizard, to just around
5400 in the backward region of Gulbarga, which is getting baked under a
scorching sun, where the Union Minister for Railways Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge is
seeking reelection from a reserved constituency.
Was the increase in turn out, a product of the
Modi wave, as the BJP would like us to believe? For it is a known fact that
almost all BJP candidates in the frey, including the BJP strongman in
Karnataka, Mr. Ananth Kumar, a known follower of Advani, who is involved in a
pitch battle with software czar Nandan Nilekani in Bangalore South for his sixth
term in loksabha did seek the support in the name Mr. Modi and not in the name
of the party or party’s programme. And the publicity material brought about the
party focused on more on “Modi” factor rather than that of party. (As a
contrast, none in Congress claimed a vote in the name of Rahul Gandhi, the Vice
President who led the campaign, and who would be the prime minister in the
event of UPA coming to power, which is unlikely as is evident from the opinion
poll surveys already made).
One factor
quoted in support of the Modi wave, has been the higher enrolment of the new
voters. But the credit for higher involvement goes more to the vigorous
campaigning conducted by the NGO groups and the pro active stance taken for the
first time by the Election Commission in creating awareness about voting among
the citizenry. This has been inspired by the Kejriwal phenomenon with the AAP
downing the political Goliaths in Newdelhi through the instrumentality of the
higher enrolment and participation in polling. One has no alternative under
circumstances to inevitably vote till the counting begins to know what type of
wave swept in Karnataka – a Modi wave or an AAP wave. If, it was a Modi wave, it would certainly
help BJP to retain the 19 seats it had won five years ago, its loss of power in
the last year’s assembly election notwithstanding. Otherwise, it would cook the
goose of BJP, and work to the advantage of the Congress,
The
interesting question would be how and to what extent the higher turnout would
tilt the balance of power in the 28 parliamentary constituencies. It all depends on the differing political
profiles of these constituencies. It is a tussle between Congress and BJP in
all the twelve parliamentary constituencies in Northern Karnataka and two
coastal region constituencies of D Kannada and Udupi.The JDS is not in the
picture at all in these constituencies.
In the four
constituencies in and around Bangalore, namely, Bangalore Rural, the Bangalore
North, the Bangalore Central and Bangalore South, the JDS is relevant only in
Bangalore Rural and in the remaining three, it is again the tussle between
Congress and BJP.
The two
constituencies, Hassan and Mandya,
feature a fight between Congress and JDS, with the BJP having a notional presence.
In the remaining eight constituencies, it is a three way fight between Congress
JDS and BJP in that order, with the first two enjoying better political clout.
Kolar and Chamaranagar have been regarded as Congress bastions.
Since the
political strength of a party is basically reflected in the assembly elections,
the votes got in the last years assembly election collated parliamentary
constituencies, throws up an interesting political scenario.
BJP led in
vote share in ten parliamentary constituencies, namely, Chikodi (1.80 lakhs).
Belgaum (1.56 lakhs), Gulbarga (less than 800), BIdar (1.61 lakhs), Koppal
(77,000), Bellary (1 lakh), Dharwad (49,000), Kanara (less than 500), Shimoga
(1,26 lakhs) and Tumkur (1.51 lakhs).
It was the
Congress, which found itself better placed in lead in sixteen constituencies, namely Bagalkot
(63,000), Bijapur (54,000), Raichur (54,000), Haveri 7800), Davangere (82,000),
Udupi Chickmagalur (8200), D Kannada (11,000), Chitradurga (1.23 lakhs), Mysore
(1,55 lakhs), Chamaraj Nagar (44,000), Bangalore Rural (1.96 lakhs), Bangalore
North(1.19 lakhs), Bangalore Central (51,000), Bangalore South(37,000),Chikballapur
(1.69 lakhs) and Kolar (1.92 lakhs).
JDs had
a lead in Mandya (2.86 lakhs) and Hassan
(1.27 lakhs).
To what
extent these leads get altered either way, thanks to the entry of 25 lakhs first time voters’ remains to be seen. One
has to take cognisance of the fact that JDS, which tends to lose the support
in parliament election.
Eon
Highlights
·
There was wave in Karnataka in loksabha
elections.
·
Not clear whether it was pro Modi, or pro AAP
·
Two main political parties, had hardly anything
to offer except a plethora of mutual
recriminations and invectives
·
Performananance of Congress at Central and State
level was nothing to crow about
·
BJP gamely trying to paper out its mutual
bickering of past
·
Poll turnout was record with two thirds of
electorate turning up
·
Gap in vote share between assembly and loksabha
elections practically bridged, which is another new phenomenon
·
In 2013
elections, BJP led in parliamentary
constituencies in vote share
·
Congress similarly led in sixteen parliamentary
constituencies
·
JDS led in only two
.
.
Poll turn out
|
||||
2014P
|
2013A
|
Diff
|
||
1Chikodi
|
1070610
|
1072557
|
-1947
|
|
2Belgaum
|
1077823
|
1060925
|
16898
|
|
3.Bagalko
|
1078520
|
1106281
|
-27761
|
|
4Bijapur
|
968286
|
1038316
|
-70030
|
|
5Gulbarga
|
996848
|
991399
|
5449
|
|
6Raichur.
|
968071
|
1006104
|
-38033
|
|
7Bidar
|
962279
|
1021573
|
-59294
|
|
8Koppal
|
1006685
|
1068431
|
-61746
|
|
9Bellary
|
1045454
|
1026182
|
19272
|
|
10Haveri
|
1115328
|
1150305
|
-34977
|
|
11Dharwad
|
1040096
|
1034887
|
5209
|
|
12Kanara
|
1000834
|
1037159
|
-36325
|
|
13Davangere
|
1114385
|
1174993
|
-60608
|
|
14Shimoga
|
1129043
|
1130929
|
-1886
|
|
15UdupiChic
|
1032373
|
1015714
|
16659
|
|
16Hassan
|
1146354
|
1193231
|
-46877
|
|
17DKanna
|
1207162
|
1123194
|
83968
|
|
18Chitradurga
|
1097380
|
1243758
|
-146378
|
|
19Tumkur
|
1100617
|
1165404
|
-64787
|
|
20Mandya
|
1191708
|
1274912
|
-83204
|
|
21Mysore
|
1145140
|
1176362
|
-31222
|
|
22Chamarajnagar
|
1132553
|
1179275
|
-46722
|
|
23BangRural
|
1506780
|
1433174
|
73606
|
|
24BangNorth
|
1355372
|
1303468
|
51904
|
|
25BangaloreCentral
|
1075390
|
994542
|
80848
|
|
26BangaloreSouth
|
1113029
|
986040
|
126989
|
|
27Chikballapur
|
1261090
|
1250754
|
10336
|
|
28KOlar
|
1125529
|
1185367
|
-59838
|
|
Total
|
31064739
|
31445236
|
-380497
|
|
P stands for parliament
|
||||
A stands for assembly
|
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(Source: CEO Bangalore
|