Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Will Prajwal Revanna sex scandal impact BJP- JD (S) prospects in Karnataka?

Karnataka is important for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress, and the determination subordinate Janata Dal (Secular). 

For the BJP, the contention successful the authorities matters, arsenic it’s the lone authorities successful the South wherever it has gained a ascendant beingness aft winning 25 of the 28 seats successful 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It is besides cardinal for the BJP’s ‘Mission South’, arsenic the enactment has failed to marque inroads successful confederate states different than Karnataka and Telangana. 

Also Read: Prajwal Revanna intersexual maltreatment case: Hassan MP's apprehension astatine landing imminent arsenic look-out announcement issued

Karnataka is besides pivotal for a surging Congress, particularly aft the expansive aged enactment registered a triumph by bagging 135 of 224 seats successful the state assembly elections last year.  

The 14 seats successful northbound Karnataka voting connected May 7 see Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar, Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davangere and Shimoga

Survival conflict for JD(S)

And for the Janata Dal(S), the biggest ‘loser’ successful 2023 authorities polls, the stakes stay adjacent higher considering the party’s ‘existential’ crisis.  The stakes are precocious for the BJP state considering its dismal show successful past year's assembly elections. JD (S) won conscionable 19 seats. Perhaps the enactment has allied with BJP to summation the mislaid crushed successful the state.  

The 3 Lok Sabha seats that the JD(S) is contesting arsenic portion of its confederation went to the polls successful the signifier 3 connected April 26. Among these was the Hassan seat, which JD(S) person Prajwal Revanna, facing intersexual maltreatment allegations, won successful 2019. In fact, Hassan was the lone Lok Sabha spot that the JD(S) won successful 2019 wide elections. However, the JD (S) was successful confederation with the Congress enactment successful 2019.

“The adjacent circular of elections is successful North Karnataka wherever the JD(S) does not gully overmuch support. So, I deliberation it volition person minimal visibility successful that sense. Unless the SIT probe comes retired with importantly factual evidence, I deliberation the BJP volition beryllium capable to disregard it arsenic morphed. Had it blown up the mode it has now, conscionable earlier the polls (April 26), past it would person had a antithetic interaction successful Southern Karnataka," governmental expert Sandeep Shastri was quoted arsenic saying by News18.

On the time of polling connected April 16, erstwhile Prime Minister and JD(S) main HD Deve Gowda exuded assurance that the BJP-JDS confederation would unafraid triumph connected all 14 seats of the authorities that voted successful the archetypal signifier connected that day.

Prajwal Revanna ‘sexual abuse’ interaction  

Alliance partners BJP and the JD(S) recovered themselves successful a spot days up of the May polls aft the intersexual maltreatment occurrence involving Prajwal Revanna, who is besides the grandson of erstwhile Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. 

Though JD(S) has nary important beingness successful the 14 seats of northbound Karnataka headed to polls connected May 7, the ungraded is expected to person a bearing connected the prospects of the BJP-JD(S) confederation owed to its interaction connected party’s image. The JD(S) and the BJP have, however, distanced themselves from Prajwal. The enactment has suspended him, and the BJP is saying it won’t basal with him, either.

On May 1, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said his enactment would not basal with those who perpetrate atrocities against women. Shah, speaking for the archetypal clip aft the scandal, deed retired astatine Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, asking wherefore nary enactment was initiated against Prajwal earlier the elections were implicit successful the Vokkaliga belt, successful the archetypal phase.

Shah was referring to 14 seats of South Karnataka that went to polls connected April 26. These 14 seats comprised areas successful Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysore and the coastal seats of the state.

In the 14 seats voting connected May 7,  the Lingayat assemblage is simply a ascendant caste. The Lingayats, Karnataka's largest azygous community, represent astir 17 per cent of state's 5.3 crore electorate. Vokkaligas, different politically important group, represent astir 12 per cent voters. 

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Published: 02 May 2024, 02:17 PM IST