Congress President Mallikarjun with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Bengaluru: Congress, which wants to upset the BJP’s applecart in Karnataka, is fine-tuning its strategy by constantly relying on ground surveys, a model it adopted during last year’s Assembly polls.
According to sources, political consultancies have been feeding Congress with inputs on the pulse of the people since December last year.
The Congress’ ground surveys have elicited the opinions of citizens on the Ram Mandir, which gave the BJP momentum in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year.
“Our surveys show that the BJP’s biggest achievement is Ram Mandir. When we asked people if they’d vote for Ram Mandir, they’re saying, ‘Maybe’,” a senior Congress minister aware of the matter said.
There are two meanings to ‘Maybe’. One, it confirms that the Ram Mandir’s inauguration has reached people on the ground. Two, Congress will be in trouble if it converts into votes for BJP.
“The Ram Mandir has certainly solidified the BJP’s vote base. But the question is, will it bring the BJP additional voters?” a senior Congress leader, who is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha election from an urban constituency, said.
The Congress is depending on its flagship five guarantees turn voters, especially women. The party wants to hammer home the message that citizens have not received personal benefits from the Modi administration, unlike the guarantee schemes that have been implemented. Employment will be another issue the Congress will focus on.
“In the last week of February, we conducted a ‘Yuva Samruddhi’ job fair. There were 84,000 people who came. Mind you, this wasn’t one of our guarantee conventions. This was an event where we promised jobs. So, if we can maintain focus on employment, we’ll definitely make the cut,” the senior minister said.
The Congress’ surveys have also thrown up a general break-up of voters: out of 10 people, four are voting for the BJP, three Congress and the rest three are undecided. “Those who are undecided will make up their mind based on local factors, including the candidate’s caste,” the minister explained.
Another aspect coming out of Congress’ surveys is that the electoral bonds issue is making little impact on voters.