Despite continued defections of its party legislators and leaders to other parties, the JD(S) is sounding upbeat about its prospects in the elections to be held on May 12.
Despite his health problems, Kumaraswamy has been touring the state for over a year now. His tours were largely restricted to north Karnataka districts, where the party lacks base. Though he was bedridden for a few weeks after undergoing a second heart surgery, Kumaraswamy was soon back on his foot, intensifying his travels. The party also underwent an image makeover (to a certain degree), by deciding to exploit social media to its advantage, like the BJP and Congress. Also, for the first time, it forged a pre-poll alliance with the BSP, hoping that the move will fetch it Dalit and minority votes.
The JD(S)' biggest turning point was, however, when it decided to be the first to announce the list of its candidates. The party, which has already announced tickets for 126 seats, is planning to release its second list in the next few days. The move had turned out to be the party's biggest advantage, said Kumaraswamy. Speaking to DH from Mysuru, Kumaraswamy said he had resolved not to commit the same electoral blunders of the
past.
He also said he had decided to focus only on 150 to 160 constituencies, as opposed to all 224 constituencies. "As I am the sole campaigner, I realised that focusing on all 224 constituencies was a futile exercise. To reach my goal of 113 seats, I have been focusing on around 160 constituencies," he
added.
The JD(S) has also been in talks with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), hoping for another pre-poll alliance.