Unfortunately, though BJP’s four MLAs and one MP successfully played the game of ‘operation Kamala’ at the Gram Panchayat levels too, it could not bring victory to BJP candidate M S Bhojegowda.
It is said that BJP has not yet able to come into terms with as what exactly went wrong. But at the same time many believe that it is the voters of Kadur who have brought success to Gayathri Shanthe Gowda. BJP failed to outdo the sway of K M Krishnamurthy and Y S V Datta. Though voters of Sringeri voted for BJP, it was not so in Koppa. Mudigere, Chikmagalur and NR Pura had almost equal number of voters for both parties, which has been agreed upon by leaders of both the parties.
“This victory has not made us happy as we have not received as much votes as we expected. Gayathri should have bagged 1550 to 1600 votes considering the hard work put in by our party workers and leaders,” says District Congress former president K B Mallikarjuna.
Many Congress members too feel that the victory cannot be celebrated because of the close fight that BJP gave. “Congress leaders of Malnad were busy in their infights and hence they had no time to think about the might of BJP. Though Congress has succeeded in making only woman candidate of the state for the council election victorious, they have to learn a lesson from this election and mend their way,” says one of the party worker on the conditions of anonymity.
As far as BJP is concerned, political pundits feel it is the ‘open in fights’ and ‘rebels’ who did the harm. As the result of this many traditional, sure shot BJP votes went in favour of Congress. The way both the parties went about doing the campaigning was more than elaborate and both the parties poured money lavishly into it. It is said that the campaign expense was about Rs 3 crore each.