The Congress has finally succeeded in thwarting BJP’s desperate bid for power in Karnataka. Looking beyond the arithmetic of State politics, the Congress-JDS unity which stood the test of time has benefitted in more than one way. And this win will give a new lease of life to the grand old party which is showing signs of asphyxiation against the Congress-mukht motto of the BJP.
Congress will take home many lessons from the Karnataka political drama. For one, it has now learnt that the art of swift decision-making can make a difference, a trait which was always lacking in them. A strategy which the BJP is known for was effectively used by the Congress to beat them at their own game. It was the team of Abhishek Singhvi, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot that ensured that the party stayed ahead in its approach.
The Karnataka tie-up also means that all the Congress-JDS pre-poll rivalries have been buried while the new government takes shape. A testimony to this fact is that Congress has been unconditional in support and Kumaraswamy in a reciprocal gesture deferring his swearing in to Wednesday, coinciding with the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, from the earlier planned Monday oath.
The Karnataka imbroglio will see the coming together of anti-BJP forces and this will be the biggest take-away for the Congress whose fortunes have reached its nadir. Kumaraswamy has reached out to big names at the behest of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. The stage is now all set to witness West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, BSP supremo Mayawati, Telangana CM Chandrashekar Rao, Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and several others in one common gathering.
The grand old party will now look forward to forging partnerships with regional players to not only keep itself afloat, but primarily to keep the BJP away from power. And going into 2019 Lok Sabha polls, this could be a game-changer. Ahead of polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, this Karnataka turnaround could infuse new energy into the sagging morale of the Congress. If Karnataka was a qualifier, polls in these three states would be seen as a semi-final between the BJP and the Congress ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP which has been flying high with its aggressive brand of politics led by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, breaking through every political frontier, has now been suddenly stopped in its track. What remains to be seen is how BJP counters the Congress which is slowly changing gears. A Congress which has conceded its position as the main opposition and accepted itself as one among equals with smaller regional players could prove to be strategically a huge roadblock for the BJP going ahead into the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Karnataka elections may have thought a lesson or two to political parties, but it also put into perspective claims of forming governments. The Supreme Court indicated that Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala should have convinced himself about the numbers, instead of directly inviting the single largest party.
