Karnataka BJP cedes Opposition space to HD Kumaraswamy
The BJP might be the largest Opposition party in Karnataka, but in recent months, its junior ally Janata Dal (Secular) has taken the lead in countering the D K Shivakumar-led Congress government and putting it on the defensive.
Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy has increasingly emerged as the most vocal of Opposition voices against the government. Kumaraswamy’s increased focus on Karnataka politics is being seen as a tactical move to prepare his party for the 2028 Assembly polls.
Kumaraswamy going solo, especially over the recent sting video controversy in Karnataka, has not sat well with a few BJP leaders. In the BJP, some sections have interpreted Kumaraswamy’s increasing focus on state politics as a sign that the party could be preparing to part ways before the state polls.
That the Karnataka BJP has not been able to sort out its leadership issues has offered room for the JD(S) to find its footing, with Kumaraswamy at the helm. In recent months, Kumaraswamy has aggressively targeted the Congress government on issues ranging from the Bidadi Township proposal and the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC/NICE) controversy to alleged irregularities in the KPSC recruitment processes and the recent video controversy. These interventions have repeatedly forced a response from Shivakumar and other senior ministers in his Cabinet.
Compared to the BJP, the JD(S) has sustained political campaigns over these issues. On the sting video controversy, Kumaraswamy held multiple press conferences last week, accusing Shivakumar of running a “factory” of sting videos to corner his opponents. The CM responded, saying “time will answer”.
‘De facto Opposition leader’
A senior JD(S) leader said Kumaraswamy’s emergence as “de facto Opposition leader” was linked to his longstanding rivalry with Shivakumar. Noting that both of them hail from the Vokkaliga community, he said that save for the short-lived truce during the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2018-19, the two have never seen eye to eye.
“Moreover, BJP leaders have not been effective in raising issues. Even if an issue is raised, Kumaraswamy’s voice has more weight than that of Leader of Opposition R Ashok or BJP state president B Y Vijayendra, for that matter. This vacuum has benefitted JD(S) as Kumaraswamy raises issues aggressively,” he said.
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Several BJP insiders admitted that the party had ceded space to Kumaraswamy and the JD(S) in recent months. “Kumaraswamy even staged a protest in front of Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s office over the sting row. He has held campaigns over KPSC and NICE issues. Though we too have taken up issues, they have not been as successful as the ones raised by the former CM,” said a BJP leader.
Though there have been questions about the future of the BJP-JD(S) alliance, insiders feel it was too early to comment on it. Recently, scoffing at the speculation surrounding the alliance, BJP Parliamentary Board leader and former CM B S Yediyurappa, Vijayendra’s father, said the two parties were together and would continue to remain so. “Both the parties will fight together to remove this corrupt government and secure power in 2028,” he said.
Congress spokesperson Ramesh Babu alleged that the RSS was using Kumaraswamy to counter the government. “Since state BJP leaders have failed to counter the Congress government, the Sangh Parivar is using Kumaraswamy,” he said.
Babu said Kumaraswamy was an expert at “hit-and-run” tactics. “None of the allegations made by him will stick,” he said.
