AS Karnataka —a southern Indian state — goes to polls to elect a new assembly on May 5, campaigning in the state has reached its peak. Political parties in Karnataka are leaving no stone unturned to woo voters. The key parties in the fray are the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).
Five years after the BJP came to power on its own strength or the first time in a southern state, the Congress is confident it can win back Karnataka. The Congress victory in the state is expected to prove crucial for the party in the coming parliamentary polls. It will also spell a major boost for the Congress party in four assembly polls, scheduled for later this year. The Congress and the BJP will be locked in a direct contest in assembly polls in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
Pitching for her party in Karnataka assembly elections, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has displayed a greater aggressive tone in her campaign, targeting the BJP rule in Karnataka than ever before. While there is nothing surprising about the lady heading an election campaign or contents of her speeches, the difference in her tone and expressions is too conspicuous to be missed. This time around, her speeches are not marked by any passivity or gentleness as she passionately attacked the BJP for having betrayed the people’s mandate. During her first campaign rally in Karnataka, she strongly asked the people to vote for a change. Describing the period of the BJP’s government as “some of the darkest days,” she assertively said, “People want change. The need for change is now, and now.”
Within a week, the people’s verdict will reveal whether they have gone for a change of government or not. The lady has seldom been seen on camera and on stage, while addressing rallies with broad smiles and also varying expressions on her face. She is known to have projected a solemn look, with at times half-a-smile bordering her lips. The expression has usually remained the same, whatever be the content of her address. This scenario appears to have changed totally for Karnataka assembly polls. Her last Friday’s address in Karnataka is marked by a complete change in the style of her campaign speech.
The manner in which Sonia delivered her speech indicates that she is going overboard to personally reach out to the audience and convince them facially, verbally as well as politically. Blaming the BJP government for having served only its “narrow and selfish political ends,” Sonia pointed out that industries were no longer competing to invest in Karnataka. They were leaving Karnataka because of corruption, government interference and infrastructure issues, she said. Committing her party to bring political stability to Karnataka, Sonia also promised to restore the state’s image as a “bright state” of India. The “Congress will ensure that this Karnataka thrives and prospers,” she said.
Sonia’s Karnataka-campaign may be viewed as strategically motivated for several reasons. The tremendous change in her posture clearly reflects that lady is now more conscious than before of her images flashing across the country and the world on television channels, newspapers and the Internet. Her objective is to leave a positive impact and also appear optimistic about prospects of the Congress in Karnataka assembly polls. Perhaps, she is sure that the present-day communication technology can have a strong impact on voters’ decision.
If parliamentary polls were not less than a year away, Karnataka polls may not have mattered much. But with her nature of campaign in the state, Sonia has also set the stage for high-voltage campaigns in the parliamentary polls.
A point made by Sonia, during her speech in Chikamagalur, also indicates that special attention has been paid to strike a personal chemistry between herself and the audience. She reminded the voters of having voted for her mother-in-law in a by-election from Chikamagalur in 1978, which helped Indira Gandhi revive her political fortunes and assume office again as prime minister.
She said: “We can never forget and will never forget that Chikmagalur adopted my mother-in-law Indira Gandhi as your own sister. Thirty-five years ago, the people of Chikmagalur lent Indiraji a helping hand when she needed it most.”
If the BJP fails to return to power in Karnataka, some credit must go to the Congress leader, Sonia Gandhi.
Aggressive Sonia sets tone for national polls
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