The votes have been counted in Assembly elections 2008 and ?Karnataka has spoken with one clear message.
Offstumped had in the run up to this election had framed what this election ought to be about. The message from Karnataka through Verdict 2008 is a clear and unambiguous repudiation of the politics of greed epitomised by Deve Gowda, the Darth Vader of Karnataka Politics.
With the BJP inching towards a majority the breach in the Vindhyas is now complete and irreversible. Karnataka is not just a buffer for the BJP against incumbency cycles to the North but is also a beach-head for a southern expansion strategy.
The outcome in Karnataka is a slap in the face for Brand Sonia and the more recent Brand Rahul. Manmohan Singh’s Communal Socialism symbolized by communal budgeting and a sell-out to select farmers in the debt waiver have come a cropper. Sonia Gandhi now has the dubious distinction of having ensured Congress loss in every single major election. From old timers like Arjun Singh to fresh blood like Sachin Pilot it is time someone called the bluff on the myth of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. It can now safely be said that brand Nehru-Gandhi has lost its pan-Indian relevance and is on its way to becoming a relic of the Congress’ inglorious past.
While the BJP prepares to celebrate this victory it must remember the other message in the run up to this election. Power is not an entitlement. It is a responsibility. There is no substitute to the mantra of “Minimum Government Maximum Governance”. Aspirations are high in Urban Karnataka and expectations are even highers in rural Karnataka. From issues ranging from autonomy to Bangalore to rural rejuvenation spelled out by Mr. Advani in his CII speech some time back, Mr. Yeddyurappa will have his task cut out.
Can he rise up to the challenge and deliver ?
Offstumped will be watching …..
Filed under: Karnataka Polls 2008
I got #100
Now slurdesai joining sushmaji in screwing prithviraj chauhan..
Sushma ji, you go girl!
She’s bloody good. She should’ve smacked the Jayaunty Nutrajs and Magrat alvas instead of the sorry P Chavan…..
Reminds me of a smiling Chandan Mitra on tv during the Guj poll counting….how he laughingly dug the dagger deep into sickular hopes and turned it hither tither….bwahahahahaha
yogendra yadav’s credibility is irreparably damaged, bjp supporters should go after him to put the fear of god in other pollsters.
death to participatory psephology.
”
”
it has nothing to do with graciousness, it is the survival instinct kicking in
testing inline image func
tch tch…inline images not working….
anyway, this should help…
http://im.rediff.com/news/2008/may/25poll1.gif
ensoi, folks.
man, can anyone give me the links where these ibn idiots are getting grilled by BJP. i am checking their website, can find the right videos.
Murali
Now gurudas commie(looks like still in last nite’s hangover) blames PM for karnataka defeat..Wat kinda shit these commies r..Being in government n blaming it 24×7..N slurdesai still screwing p chavan along with that drunk looking commie..
Murali,
streaming video of IBN….good action right now
http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/streaming-260.html
Wanna watch big mouthed jayanti nutsrajan being smacked,switch on times now..
thanks Sud,
arun jaitley vs kapil sibal is coming up now, cant wait to see jaitley thrash that impotent sibal
THIS IS THE SEOND MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL SINCE INDEPENDENCE AFTER RAMJANMABHOOMI MOVEMENT.
VINDHYAS HAVE BEEN BREACHED SECOND TIME AFTER SAGE AGASTYA.
WE ENJOYED THIS WELL DESERVED VICTORY AND CELEBATED IT.
Wow!!
Ravi shankar prasad smacks arnab goswami for modi bashing..Go on ravi..
Sibal actually smiling while claiming that the KT verdict says nothing abt UPA’s performance…..wow.
Kangress is blessed with such talent, what to say?
will search youtube for clips posted of these smackdowns … preserved for posterity onlee….
“This election could well mean the end of Gowdagiri”
*LOL!*
Saw Vani Ganapathi in the panel discussion on TimesNow.It was heartening to listen to a prominent artist talk about Bangalore rapidly becoming a hub of terrorism.Very refreshing views,coming as it did from an artiste,who are generally ‘concerned’ about the ‘innocent’ muslims being targetted by the BJP.God bless her.
yes sud
and more interesting observation in view of national election, Every district (note 100% success) where Modi campaigned BJP won. I think this will be even more relevant in the Hindi Heartland, where his Hindi quotes can really bring the public alive.
BJP IS FOLLOWING THE PATHS SHOWN BY SRI CHAITANYADEVA, THE 16TH CENTURY HINDU SAINT, WHO SAVED HINDUISM IN EASTERN INDIA FROM ISLAMIC ONSLAUGHT, BY GOING TO HE BOTTOM OF SOCIETY AND EMBRACE HARIJANS, GIVE THEM DIGNITY.
EVERYBODY WHO CARES FOR INDIA AND BJP- MUST DEVOTE SOME TIME, RESOURCE EVERY MONTH TO GO TO THE BOTTOM OF SOCIETY AND BRING THEM TO THE MAINSTREAM.
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE INDIA, HINDUS AND ENSURE ITS DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE.
Boss, i was just comparing the constituency-wise prediction made by your “avid” reader with the actual results. And boy, they were bang on target! well most of them (would say about 95%). Whatever misses were there in phase 1 which was not at all easy to predict. Well done!!! Fantastic job!!! Much much better than what the professional media (electronic and print) could do. Long live the blogosphere.
#114
“Sibal actually smiling while claiming that the KT verdict says nothing abt UPA’s performance…..wow.”
He’s right. You’ve to look at glass half-full. BJP hasn’t reached the half-way mark, yet. People didn’t completely accept the BJP. They accepted it by 1 less than complete. It would be complete if they got half-way, on their own. That speaks volumes more about BJP’s lesser performance not UPA’s. Sonia and Rahul cannot be blamed either. They campaigned very little. Had they campaigned more the results would be vastly different. No one stopped them from campaigning more but they didn’t. Local party leaders didn’t use Raje-Yuvraj as they should’ve. Secular vote “splittist” didn’t help much either.
Vani Ganpathi is Kamala Hasan’s former wife. She’s been rooting for BJP for over a decade now. Same with Hema Malini. It looks like “nachenwali’s” jig is up.
Is this a vote for stability ? CNN-IBN
no ma’am this is a vote for the raging communals =)
There is gauri lankesh and ram guha bashing Yeddi as usual on IBN, real morons.
@Murali/Sud/Aryan/Bibek/Arjun/Sureah and all INI mates….
Gee…what a victory????
hey Murali…Dont believe you dint BJP leaders and pals from the media rubbing it into the SECULAR media….
I will tell you who did it….
BJP : Ravi Shanker Prasad, Arun Jaitley, Rajiv Rudy Pratap
Media: Swapan Dasgupta, Chandan Mitra.
Man….You should have watched all the channels, especially the look on the face of that 10, Janpath doormat VINOD MEHTA….Hee Hee ….what fun….
Guys….I was/am getting bombed….so excuse my wirtings….
@kaushik….
Currently I am having…..Chivas …..Cheers buddy
@Murali….
Watch the bad channel CNN IBN …WHAT WENT WRONG???
Sagarika….is looking very s..y….Rest all is a load of crap….
Looks like they have Ramchandra Guha….tooo
Watch it/….
@sud….
“Who was it JIggs, who was unhappy at BSY’s lack of smoothness in angrezi on primetime NDTV?”
Not me mate, I would never say this for any sangh Parivar member….
Sud,
It was me who asked that. I felt he was reading from his notes blindly and i cant understand kannada to evaluate his speeches in kannada, sorry mate
CNN/IBN
“some angry bloggers questioning the exit polls of cnn/ibn” , jee i wonder who they are referring to ? =)
Gauri lankesh on BJP win
“this is a black day for karnataka”
no ma’am i beg to differ, you got your colors mixed
This is a SAFFRON day for karnataka =)
@INI brothers…..
The best coverage wa son TIMES NOW, Superb panel….this guy Mahesh S is a very neutral and has sound views….
Rest of panel was : Gautam Adhikari,Swapan dasgupta,Chandan Mitra,Vinod Sharma,Vinod Mehta,Rajiv Rudy Pratap,Ravi Shanker Prasad,Manish Tiwari….
Next time watch Times now…..Guys….Its the best
Now Ranchandra Guha the master BJP baiter is saying that it is a mandate against Pariwar Politics ( I think he meant Gandhi Pariwar)….
@Aryan…They meant some bloggers on their website….Most certainly not us…..Not that I trust our ability…..
the icing on the cake was when slurdesai & yogi had to admit in so many words that they were completely wrong in their opinion polls…
slurdesai still tried to put a minor spin by saying that they got the vote percentages right but seats wrong…but yogi, to his credit, corrected him by saying that they got both wrong….lol…
prannoy roy is married to Radhika Roy (sister of Brinda Karat, married to prakash karat), who was a speech therapist and is the Director of NDTV. He is the cousin of award winning novelist and activist Arundhati Roy.
Rajdeep is married to journalist Sagarika Ghose, who is also a journalist with Cnn-Ibn. They met at Oxford University.
from wikipedia, The list is a who’s who in hindu haters. It’s people like this that control India’s media, this is not cool.
vinod mehta surprisingly speaking sensibly in cnn ibn….says bjp govt might do well in karnataka..
Aryan
The people have woken up, these idiots cant fool them and todays verdict just proves that.
celebrate man.
I bet they will retain MP, Chat and Raj
Jiggs,
again on timesnow, i cant find the videos ur referring to, can u provide the link
Murali
Yossarin, you might want to put a paypal button here. I’m sure there are some who would love to support your great work!
Thanks for the awesome articles
Uncork the champagne! I do wish the majority was just a bit more, but who knows, we could see JD(S) dissidents dumping the party anyway – they owe nothing to HDK, HDG or HDR anymore.
An enjoyable time watching the sloppy coverage on IBN and other stations. At one point, going on and on about how BSY was trailing (I don’t think he ever was) and prodding BJP leaders to ask what will happen then, over-analyzing trends for like 5 seats, and near the end of leads being shown, a discussion on how the Congress still might have a higher vote % than the BJP (It is like watching a room full of babboons go at it)…and then the pleasure of watching Abhishek Singhvi talk about the split of the “secular” vote (apparently now any non-BJP vote belongs to the Congress), and I simply hit mute when Yogendra Yadav speaks. Arun Jaitley, mature, professional and well-spoken as always. LOVED Veera Moily talking about how the Congress-JD(S) alliance was very stable and happy compared to the JD(S)-BJP coalition, I want to know what he was drinking!!!
On Kangress side, kudos to Kapil Sibal and SM Krishna, presenting a pretty mature view (Aside from Sibal’s “secular vote” ramble), but Krishna was very gracious and honest.
One final thing: It’s time for a major shake-up in the Karnataka Kangress. Too many cooks spoiling the broth, time for new blood and new leadership.
This is glorious, this is our D-day, like the Allied forces established a beachhead in Normandy in france in WW II, the BJP/Nationlist forces have established a beach-head in the south. One battle down, now lets win the War in 09′.
The exit poll that was most accurate was done by Mr. Vinod Joshi of Prabodhan Research group. Their predictions were :
BJP 103 (Crosses 100 mark – not complete majority)
Congress – 69 (Marginal Improvement)
JD(S) – 26 (Rout)
Others- 26
In actuality BJP and Congress did a little better and others were not that impressive. BUT JD-S rout was well predicted.
Sad, but TIMES tv ki itni tareef suni, but unable to watch onlee. Any links, etc wud be hajaar appreciated.
Chandan Mitra was there? WoW. That must’ve be fun. And Funny. Funaa for the sickulars.
Yossarian,
Tks for providing this platform. Very engaging and fun liveblogging happened. Say 240+ posts in a single thread during election day…. what is the record at offstumped, eh?
Now I wish I’d discovered your site in the runup to the Guj Polls last December….hehehehe
I do foresee liveblogging away here all the way to the next LS poll a year away….
Tks again, and judos for the great work done.
Time for me to logoff and get some work done….
Ciao, all. Have a nice day!
#142
D-day will be the day China is exiled from Writers Building. Miles to go….
socal,
D-Day, Sir I just meant, well, I’ll just quote churchill…
“The End of the Beginning”
“The Germans have received back again that measure of fire and steel which they have so often meted out to others. Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
Here is what I posted on the IBN Blog of the Idiot-in-Charge Yogendra Yadav at the Congress Neta Network (CNN) / Italian Bahu Network (IBN). I have no reason to believe it will be published though.
http://features.ibnlive.com/chat/answer/senior-fellow-at-the-centre-for-the-study-of-developing-societies-and-codirector-of-lokniti/increasing-pressures-of-exit-poll-forecasting/118.html
“I feel sorry for you. Thank your stars, uh, Congress Neta Network / Italian Bahu Network that you still have a job.
How do you keep looking in the mirror without being ashamed of yourself?
Gone are the days when idiots like you could influence the election results. However, personally, I thank you for creating a perception in the minds of Congresswalas of a false win that makes them lethargic and doubles the energy of BJP workers to win !!
Here is the surest way to prove your hidden agenda & I dare you to publish the following stats: No poll forecaster can be accurate all the time – that is given. However, whenever you have missed the mark, how many times was your inaccurate prediction in favor of BJP and how many times was it in favor of Congress? IF it was more than 60% times in favor of Congress, then it proved your bias / hidden agenda. I am sure you lack guts to publish these stats and ability to introspect.
However, I am still thankful that BJP baiters (like yourself & Congresswalas) lack this ability to introspect. Because, if you did, you would improvise and become fit to survive. In that case, you would not be helping make Mahatma Gandhi’s dream come true (of ending Congress as a political party after India’s independence).
So keep doing what you are doing. You are doing a GREAT job !
”
From the election commission website, here is all the result including polling percentage.
Had I had time I would have put this in an excel to analyse further.
http://search.eci.gov.in/ae_2008e/
Dhananjay, that was good. But media people are thickskinned. The profession demands it. You may perhaps find that prostitutes are a lot more sensitive to criticism.
Frankly, I don’t like some of the triumphalism I see here and elsewhere. The media is hoist on its own petard, but the bigger issue is the following that you cannot ignore:
Karnataka has seen the demise of other political parties that once ruled it. Janata is gone. Janata Dal (U) is history, there was the Devraj Urs Congress and the current election marks the terminal decline of Deve Gowda party (which is what is the best thing about it). However, through all this upheaval, one party survived, and in fact did better in this election than the previous. It is the Congress. It is going to be around for a long time to come.
If BJP doesn’t deliver on the expectations, it will go the same way as Janata and its splinters. Winning is but the easiest part of the job. Digging roots and staying put requires earning reputation as a party of governance.
Secularism lost today. =(
I will lose my sleep forever (I always lose sleep when nationalist win)- Dr MM Singh. (Prime Minister to Rajmata and her Clown Prince)
Ot:
Well said about BJP having to now deliver. Seeing what it is doing in Gujarat (& Rajasthan) it gives me hope that it will deliver! If it does not, it deserves the fate of others, as you pointed out.
It will be interestig analysis to see if Congress actually expanded it’s base in Karnataka (after all it also got more seats) OR if some JDS leaders that crossed over were able to transfer their votebank as well. Either way, it is in BJP’s interest to be vigilent and most of all DELIVER.
Lest we forget….
Oh, there’s more…
Hyok Hyok…. it made my day seeing the long faces of people like Vinod Mehta and Co!
This is a big day for the BJP! I only hope they do not fritter away the goodwill through bad governance and corruption. This time they have got a complete mandate without having to rely on other parties. They should govern it in the standards of what Modi has set in Gujarat. That alone will sustain this trend. Else, getting a second chance will take a really long time!
“Moily : JD(S) divided secular vote”
I have one request to Yossarin. Please write something on the term “secular vote” used by media and congress and “sicular” parties.
Does they think those who vote for BJP are all communal in mind?
If they think so and tell that word then they are spreading the communal politics in India.
Ok, I have personally no problem to call by communal voter if I vote for BJP. But I feel that this term is not definitely good for society, especially if it is used b media.
Any link to Vinod Mehta video?
Funny I always thought communal must originate from communism. Or commuting maybe. Only later did it dawn it has to do with ‘community’.
Yoss,
My vote for what the next topic should be…. an analysis of all the constituencies Raul Vinci Kam-pained in and how many of those the Kangress actually retained…. going by the UPO debacle and now KT, we should all fervently hope Raul becomes star kampainer in chee-f for MP, Chattis and Raj as well….hehehehe
Congratulations to Team BJP for its resounding success in Karnataka and thanks to the people of Karnataka for reposing faith in them.
They say Revenge is a dish best served cold.
“There is no hat-trick in elections.It’s in fact, always a trick,”
ARUN JAITLEY THE MASTER OF STRATEGY :
ON A HIGH, JAITLRY MAY NOW EYE FOR THE TOP SPOT
http://epaper.indianexpress.com/ArticleText.aspx?article=26_05_2008_004_007&mode=1
Rightly, so Sir…you deserve it…SIR
@Sud/Murali….
Read todays IE, man it is a gold mine….
Guys…
Now that Victory has been acheived, let’s focus back on the GUJJAR issue, I have posted a thought, please go over to the thread and comment.
Guys……
One person who really deserve loads of thanks is ARUN JAITLEY
this guy is just Superb doing his job silently
Guys…Read this:
FM praises BJP-ruled Gujarat on power supply
The efforts of Gujarat, ruled by the BJP, in ensuring power supply to farmers has received laurels from an unexpected quarter — the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre.
“Gujarat has shown us the way on how to fix power (problem) for agriculture,” Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in an interview with Tehelka weekly, even as he expressed concern in general over problems related to electricity, seeds and fertiliser.
Hmmn….Change of Heart ????/
Guys…yesterday it looked liked that the TV channels have now taken the task of Govt Formation then the parties which have lost or won…..
On NDTV Barkha Dutt was giggling with Loud Mouth Jayanti Natarajan about how the two Sicular Parties (Congress and JD(S)) can still join hands and form the Government in Karnatka…..
Later on again when BJP was stuck on 99-100 leads for quite some time against JD(S)+ Cong around 108+ , Bhasker on NDTV was egging on Abhishek Singhvi to form a pact with JD(S) and then Governor should call them to form the government…
Singhvi had to correct him saying as per Supreme Court Judgement in Bommai’s case it is mandatory for the Governer to call the largest party to form the Government…
English Media again has done a terrible job covering Karnatka…….
It’s time that some Journos don the Politicos hat….and jump into full time Politics….
Speaking of sore losers please read today’s Hindu edit… Such trash!
enough congratulations, etc.
bjp should get to work on getting 3-4 JD-S MLAs to resign, or even a formal split in JDS legislature party (1/3rd of 28 is 10). The congress will do that to the BJP the first chance they get, which will be the day after ministry swearing in.
and bjp should get to work in hassan, mandya etc. their performance there is pathetic. Candidates getting less than even ten thousand votes. No amount of bad mouthing Deve Gowda and family will help them there. They need to win over this community, and do whatever it takes. may be get some community leaders still in JD-S over to BJP. They tried to do that before the election, but the guy they got – G.T.deve gowda- came in third in his seat.
Any word if BJP has received support from the independents. The issues is that there are 4 congress independents out of 6.
bjp should get to work on getting 3-4 JD-S MLAs to resign, or even a formal split in JDS legislature party (1/3rd of 28 is 10). The congress will do that to the BJP the first chance they get, which will be the day after ministry swearing in.
and bjp should get to work in hassan, mandya etc. their performance there is pathetic. Candidates getting less than even ten thousand votes. No amount of bad mouthing Deve Gowda and family will help them there. They need to win over this community, and do whatever it takes. may be get some community leaders still in JD-S over to BJP. They tried to do that before the election, but the guy they got – G.T.deve gowda- came in third in his seat.
1*2 quick points.
1] BJP has to get net savvy asap.[ check out the official site]
2] I couldn’t figure out the process for joining the party from the hot button in the page [form download,addresses,e mail ids , ph nos???]
Pl do pass on the feedback to the concerned people.
Thanks
Check this out!!
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/314559.html
Congress which went overboard criticizing BJP for its India Shining Campaign now has something up its sleeve. Wouldn’t the taxpayer’s money be wasted now? Why hasnt this been criticized by the media? Even he tone of IE article looks supportive.
@arjun…
This is what I was telling you yesterday. Now news as yet barring that BJP is negotiating with the independents.
May be as you suggested that JD(S) might be forced to split?????
@arjun…
Here is your news:
BJP gets support of three more MLAs in K’taka
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/BJP-gets-support-of-three-more-MLAs-in-Ktaka/314692/
Jiggs,
By the way which is the next state going for polls, i am just eager to see eggs on sonia’s face again.
I think Delhi, Chattissgarh, MP and Rajasthan go to polls this year, i dont know which order though. Can anyone explain what the effects of the ongoing gujjar agitation are going to be on the rajasthan elections.
Murali…
Yup…these states will go to polls same time this year.
Re. Gujjar issue I have posted my thoughts on :
Suicidal Leadership of K.S. Bainsla
On this forum….It’s serious…Please go over to that thread in Ofstumped.
Guys….
Here’s a party wise break up of seats….
http://search.eci.gov.in/ae_2008e/
Dint knew so many parties took shine on Karnataka!!!!
jiggs,
i am replying to ur post on gujjars in that post, we’ll conduct that discussion there.
Murali
http://www.indianexpress.com/showcartoon.php?picId=27115
I think in the electoral punishment meted out to LJP in bihar elections and JD(s) in Karnataka elections, the people of India have shown their impatience and intolerance for coalition drama. This should be warning enough for smaller parties joining the NDA to follow coalition dharma, not drama. Also the communist coalition drama resulting in non governance along with the sky high inflation should serve as warning bells for the UPA.
Get ready for the regime change in 09′.
Aryan,
I was just hoping someone else would point this out, as usual a large number of msm idiots including aru nehru, keep writing about the decreasing relevance of national parties and how regional parties will call shots in 2009. I firmly believe that the opposite will happen, if an astute political observer sees whats happening across the nation (not surface but good in depth observations), it will reveal that 2009 will be fought between national parties. BSP might be the lone exception, but again only in UP and there too they cant get too much. There will other regional players like BJD, JD(U), but they have to be aligned, non-aligned regional parties who want to go on their own hoping to call shots in the end will be doomed, 2009 ki pratiksha kejiye.
Advani ji: you dont worry, get ready for the raja suya yagna in may 2009, and dont forget to appoint modi as the yuvaraj.
Someone’s victory is someone’s loss.You know its a mandate of people..now they are intelligent enough to choose their government but does these politicians understand this.I don’t think so..I was listening to narendra modi in chennai..and he said that election is just a byproduct of winning people’s heart..till now in karnataka no party was trying to work for people everybody was engaged in grabbing the power…from Dharam singh to kumarswamy even his father deve gowda was playing the cards to be in power.Now where are u Mr Prime minister(late)and see where ur party is going.Its a victory time for BJP let them enjoy…but please try to win people’s heart and next term for you will be the byproduct.
Hindu wisdom at work. I think, we shall study and practice more Chanakya (kautilya) and his niti. At this age of politics in Bharat, Chanakya niti is the best instrument to win and rule.
Arun Jaitley, know a bit of Chanakya niti. Pramod Mahajan was good at it. Congress today are the Kauravas, so Duryudhan Nehru clan will take care of its own destruction. We only need facilitate. More they put venom on Hindus under the mask of Sickularism and communalism, more they awaken the sleeping Hindus to unite and polarise.
Hindus need to cultivate self-respect and self-confidence. Hindus need to feel proud of their age-old civilization, culture and heritage. Read this site, its wonderful http://www.hinduwisdom.info/index_new.htm
Any one here who is an expert on UP politics, someone who knows just more than the numbers in UP. I really need to do some work on that. So if anyone here knows about UP politics well, please reply with ur email id and let me know if you dont mind answering a few questions, its very important before the LS elections.
From Swapan Dasgupta. Who are these anti Hindu NGOs and who is funding them.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080526/jsp/nation/story_9321320.jsp
The Congress campaign on the other hand lacked focus. It ran a campaign, borrowed from the BJP national campaign of 1998, promising a “stable” government under an “able” leader. Yet it was unable to name this leader. At the same time, encouraged no doubt by an alliance of NGOs which were campaigning against the BJP, it introduced themes such as secularism which had no bearing on the political discourse in Karnataka. A seminar was held in Bangalore to show that Gujarat was actually a state lacking in human development. And Union cabinet minister Kapil Sibal convened a special media conference to demonstrate that Karnataka was well ahead of Gujarat in higher education!
@Murali….
UP is only BSP…..
The Mayajaal is out with full force.
BJP lost credibility due to failure on promises of Ram Janmabhoomi and Muslim appeasement.
The party machinery is in complete dis array ( on the lines of the Congress in Gujarat and Karnatak)
BJP needs a powerful local leader like Modi and BSY to re-juniviate the party.
Also, this talk of further breaking UP …BUNDELKHAND sounds good, hope BJP makes good use of it….
I guess,
The just hope they some how make 200+ in 2009, so that with allies it becomes 272+.
The real test now is MP and probably Rajasthan with all this Gujjar issue!!!
MP will be a bear.
Thats because the top leadership in the state (CM Shivraj Chauhan) is perceived to be corrupt.
In places like Orissa And of course, Gujrat, when the CM is perceived to be clean, anti-incumbency is significantly mitigated. Seen even in WB. But MP, sadly, is a sorry case for the Bhajpa. Raje in Rajasthan should also be relatively safe in the non-corruption department.
With regards to UP, BJP is trying to revive by projecting more Dalit leaders. Let’s see what comes out of it.
Recently, Kalyan Singh had said that BJP is in very bad shape in UP. BJP has to get 25 seats or so in UP.
BJP has to keep in mind the Cong-SP-RJD alliance.
Congress-SP likely to contest polls together
The Congress and the Samajwadi Party are likely to contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections together in Uttar Pradesh.
Highly placed sources in both parties said that the decision had been taken after the realisation that going separately would split their common vote in favour of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
A senior Samajwadi Party leader close to former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav claimed that the party could offer 15-20 Lok Sabha seats to the Congress as part of a pre-poll arrangement out of the total 76 in the state. The Congress now has nine seats while the Samajwadi Party has 35.
“The Samajwadi Party and the Congress contesting together would help consolidate the Muslim vote not only in Uttar Pradesh but also elsewhere in the country,” the leader said.
The Congress-Samajwadi Party tie up would be supplemented by the coming together of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RLD) leader and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav, now that they appear to have buried the hatchet a la the Congress and Samajwadi Party.
Since the Samajwadi Party, RJD and the Congress had a common Muslim vote bank, “there being together would help in the national scenario also”, the leader said.
Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Yadav had been at loggerheads for years and have campaigned and fielded candidates against one another. Mulayam Yadav would do so in Bihar and Lalu Prasad in Uttar Pradesh.
Simultaneously, there are reports that Mulayam Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Ajit Singh are talking peace. They had fallen apart over differences in the wake of Ajit Singh moving closer to the Congress.
Ajit Singh is an influential Jat leader in western Uttar Pradesh, while the region has a sizeable Muslim vote.
“The Samajwadi Party and RLD, along with the Congress, coming together in western Uttar Pradesh could help consolidate Jats and Muslims,” a Congress leader close to the development told IANS.
The Samajwadi Party was willing to offer five to six Lok Sabha seats to RLD in western Uttar Pradesh. “We are also talking to Sonelal Patel of Apna Dal. His party has a good influence over the Kurmi community, in eastern Uttar Pradesh,” said the leader.
“We could give them half a dozen seats to contest,” the source said.
Swapan Dasgupta’s take on the Karnataka elections.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080530/jsp/opinion/story_9336679.jsp
ACTS OF EVASION
- The Karnataka election was fought on bread and butter issues
Swapan Dasgupta
The British broadcaster and former MP, Sir Clement Freud, once narrated what he considered “the funniest joke” he had heard. A habitual drunkard, it seems, had promised his wife that he wouldn’t visit the pub again. Predictably, he broke his promise, went on a drinking binge with his mates and threw up all over himself. In a state of blue funk, he asked his friends: “What do I do now? My wife will throw me out.” “Don’t worry”, the friend replied, “just tell your wife that a passer-by threw up all over you and then, quite graciously, gave you £20 for the dry-cleaning.” The happy drunkard returned home and was promptly accosted by his wife. “No, no,” he protested, “it wasn’t me,” and then proceeded to spin the pre-rehearsed yarn. “That’s all very well”, replied his wife, “but why are you carrying two £20 notes?” Without any hesitation, the drunk retorted, “Oh that was from the man who shat in my pants.”
I was reminded of the drunkard’s furtive quest of innovative excuses on hearing Prithviraj Chauhan, the Congress in-charge of the Karnataka election, blame the “division in the secular vote” for the party’s failure to prevent a Bharatiya Janata Party victory. After a string of electoral reverses in the past two years, it is understandable that the Congress is running out of diversionary explanations, but the theory of secular fragmentation takes the cake.
Lest the explanation becomes conventional wisdom among pamphleteers, it is worthwhile recalling a few features of the recently-concluded election. First, at no stage of this election was there any preoccupation with sectarian issues. This was an election fought on bread-and-butter issues and the quality of governance. So great was the concern over rising prices that a beleaguered cabinet minister — Congress’s Kapil Sibal — proffered the intriguing argument that inflation shouldn’t become a theme of competitive politics. It prompted a BJP leader to quip: “In that case, should we debate the IPL matches?” Sibal’s understanding of the issues that dominated the election is interesting. Armed with facts and figures, he made a special trip to Bangalore to tell the media that Karnataka outshone Gujarat in higher education. To Sibal, this was a pertinent concern, not secularism.
Of course, the BJP did attack the Congress for being ‘soft’ on terrorism and the Congress did mention the BJP’s capitulation in Kandahar. But these were run-of-the-mill election banter — unless, of course, we believe the silly assertion of the minister of state for home affairs, Shakeel Ahmed, that terrorism and anti-terrorism are equally reprehensible. Blaming fragmented secularism for the BJP’s good performance is about as ridiculous as the BJP charging its opponents with undermining Hindu unity.
The only organized lobby that believed the election was remotely a test of secularism was the People’s Alliance for Democracy, an ‘alliance’ of 150 NGOs. They had a one-point agenda of fighting the BJP. According to K.L. Ashok, a PAD convener, as quoted in Tehelka magazine, “We have no doubt that the BJP is a communal party committed to treating Dalits, Muslims, women and the working masses as second-class citizens. We have seen what they did in 20 months they were in power in Karnataka. We are saying — never again!” After the results, one activist called it a “dark day” for Karnataka.
Secondly, it is clear that the theory of secular disunity was an attack on the former prime minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, for making the contest three-cornered. This again is a silly assertion. At no time since Independence has the Congress fought an election in Karnataka in alliance with any ‘secular’ party. Indeed, first the Janata Party under Ramakrishna Hegde and subsequently the Janata Dal under S.R. Bommai and Deve Gowda were the principal opponents of the Congress. The BJP entered after 1991.
The Congress and BJP both fought this election promising stability and promised an end to the ‘father and son’ blackmail of the state. The electorate attached considerable significance to the stability plank and reduced the JD(S) to a poor third. If the Congress now blames Gowda for facilitating a BJP victory, it could only imply two things: either the JD(S) should have withdrawn from the polls altogether or that the Congress should have entered into an anti-BJP alliance with Gowda. Both were not within the realms of possibility this election. Nor was there any guarantee that a grand anti-BJP alliance would have led to a secular landslide. There was one constituency — Shikaripura — where all parties ganged up against the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate. Yeddyurappa won, polling 66.2 per cent of the vote — a 16 per cent improvement over 2004, when there was a three-cornered fight and a division of the so-called secular vote.
Along with secular disunity, the Congress blamed the BJP for appealing to caste loyalties by projecting Yeddyurappa, a Lingayat. The Congress, it stated piously, “appeals to all castes and communities”. The argument is spurious at the conceptual level because any projected leader, apart from the Congress president, is born into some caste or community. In more practical terms, if the BJP had indeed played a Lingayat card, it would have generated a countervailing anti-Lingayat mobilization — as Devraj Urs managed in 1978 and 1980. However, the results suggested that, apart from securing a solid bloc of Lingayat votes, the BJP simultaneously made deep inroads into the Vokkaliga, Idiga and Dalit communities on the strength of imaginative candidate selection and a focussed campaign.
The Congress, on the other hand, tried to make a virtue out of its failure to name a chief ministerial candidate. It tried to mask its indecisiveness with the theory that having a galaxy of competing aspirants would lead to all of them mobilizing their respective castes. This worked in the case of the new entrant, A. Siddaramiah, and his Kuruba community and to some extent with the Dalit leader, Mallikarjun Kharge. It failed to cut ice with the Vokkaligas and Lingayats. The Congress candidate lost in S.M. Krishna’s old constituency and its Lingayat leader, M.P. Prakash, was also defeated.
Caste wasn’t the primary issue of this election. Caste representation mattered at the district and constituency level, but at a macro-level Karnataka voted on issues and were influenced by the campaign. The Congress’s biggest shortcoming was its incredibly shoddy and unfocussed campaign. It didn’t have enough to offer the state and its national record wasn’t sufficiently appealing.
It’s the unwillingness to admit that the Congress is no longer in a position to motivate sufficient number of voters on either a regional or national plank that has compelled its leaders to be disingenuous about the Karnataka results. Indian political parties, it is true, don’t have a glorious record of conducting clinically ruthless post-mortems either in public or behind closed doors. The BJP, for example, has still not debated its miserable showing in Uttar Pradesh two years ago. The Congress is further hamstrung by the tacit realization — never mind Rahul Gandhi’s well-meaning sermons on inner-party democracy — that the buck always stops at either a Prithviraj Chauhan or state leaders.
This may be why, as its ultimate act of evasion, it blamed a late swing in Karnataka on the hapless Dharam Singh’s eyesight. The unfortunate former chief minister was shown on TV as having to be assisted to the voting machine by his wife who pressed the button on his behalf. This, claimed an AICC spokesman in all seriousness at a formal briefing, became a metaphor for the Congress—the party that can’t look ahead.
[...] Time to address fragmented Legislatures At this time it is anyone’s guess if the first BJP Government in South India will survive the crisis in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The legislative affairs in Karnataka [...]
[...] that without B.S. Yedyyurappa’s contribution the BJP would be a mere blip in the political map south of the Vindhyas. He has come a long way since the failed experiment at a coalition with H.D. Kumaraswamy to chart [...]