It is a sad Saturday for the Gowdas. Their arch rival, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has humbled his onetime masters, the powerful Gowda clan, in their bastion Bangalore Rural and Mandya. The victory is not unexpected. The Congress, which returned to power after 9 years in the Assembly elections held in May 2013, was expected to win to continue its victory march and to keep the momentum till the general elections, early next year.
Undoubtedly, it is a big win for the ruling Congress. Both Bangalore Rural and Mandya are Vokkaliga dominated areas and considered a bastion of the 'humble' former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda family. His son and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had fielded his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy from Bangalore Rural, which he vacated after the JDS became main opposition party in the Assembly.
Neighbouring Mandya was also with the JDS. Gowdas took it as a matter of personal prestige and led the campaign from the front. They even had a tacit understanding with the BJP, which did not field candidates. KJP Supremo BS Yeddyurappa refused the olive branch extended by his enemies the Gowdas and allegedly backed the Congress to teach a lesson to JDS-BJP combine, which he believes is responsible for his brief stay at the Bangalore Central Jail, two years ago.
Humiliating defeat of Gowda's daughter in law Anitha in her husband Kumaraswamy's seat Bangalore Rural is good news for the Congress and its local chieftain DK Shivakumar. A six time MLA Shivakumar could not make it to the state Cabinet after May election after the party high command was forced to keep 'tainted' leaders out.
The sulking Shivakumar reluctantly agreed to field his younger brother DK Suresh against Kumaraswamy's wife. According to party insiders, Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi has promised him a plum portfolio after the victory. Shivakumar will now be asked to take on the Gowdas in the Old Mysore region in the coming general elections.
The defeat of the JDS in Mandya is shocking not only for the Gowdas, even to some local Congress leaders. Glamorous Kannada heroine Ramya was considered a lightweight to take on the might of the JDS there. The Convent educated, elite Ramya is a novice and the youngest MP in the current Lok Sabha. Her victory is actually a Congress victory.
The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah can breathe easy now. He has won the first round of vote of Confidence. This spectacular win will surely make him much stronger. He can now claim that he is acceptable to all castes including the Vokkaligas. He will also have an upper hand in the selection of candidates in the next Parliament elections.
SM Krishna, who is a strong and the senior most Congress leader from Old Mysore, can also claim that the voters still have faith in his leadership. Krishna campaigned for the party at 83 and took on the Gowdas during campaign trail.
It is an early winter for the Gowdas. They are now left with just one seat family patriarch Deve Gowda's Hassan. If the JDS wants to play a role in New Delhi after the Lok Sabha polls, next year, the party will have to win at least 4-5 seats. Going gets tough for the peasants' party.
The BJP has also lost its face by not fielding candidates and supporting the JDS. The victorious Congress is now mocking at the BJP saying that there is no Modi wave in Karnataka and the saffron party will lose badly even if Modi leads.
The 'unholy' alliance between 'secular' JDS and 'communal' BJP seems to have backfired in Karnataka, which the same combine, ruled just Seven Monsoons ago. The Congress also can't escape the fact that it replied to the JDS in the same coin of family politics and feudal attitude by fielding rich and powerful candidates, not real workers of the party.
Will the Congress's victory march continue even in the coming Lok Sabha elections-2014? Only the time will tell.
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