“WE MADE A mistake! With a little more focus, we could have bagged the remaining two seats, too,” said the man responsible for painting Karnataka’s political landscape saffron. Former chief minister and Karnataka BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa once again proved his mettle as the most popular leader of the party in the state. In an interview with THE WEEK, Yeddyurappa shared his thoughts on his party’s achievement, the strategy it employed and the future of the coalition government.
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The BJP has not only retained its bastions of coastal and north Karnataka, but also wrested the seats in south Karnataka, which is dominated by the Congress and the JD(S).
The hard work of our workers, MLAs and MPs has paid off. It was a team effort. We started work much early. Our candidates had been given the go-ahead even before the official announcement and clearance from Delhi. An early start helped us evolve strategies and iron out our differences.
What went wrong in Hassan and Bengaluru Rural?
We faltered in these two seats. We should have picked the candidates a little early so that they would get enough time to work. However, our performance in both the seats is encouraging. In Hassan, the opponents used many illegal means and money to win. I feel the winner (Prajwal Revanna) will be disqualified over false declaration in the affidavit.
Do you attribute your success to the infighting among the alliance partners?
No. We won with very huge margins, from some 1.5 lakh to 3 lakh votes across constituencies, barring a few. The infighting between the coalition partners might have favoured us in some seats, but it was our sound strategy and candidate selection that really mattered.
You had predicted that coalition stalwarts like Mallikarjun Kharge, Veerappa Moily and Muniyappa would be defeated.
I have been touring the districts for the last three months. From my long experience I can tell the pulse of the people.
What do you think about the future of the coalition government?
The coalition has flopped. The chief minister has convened a cabinet meeting, but there are several factions in the Congress, starting with that of Siddaramaiah. I would rather wait and watch. Our central leaders have advised us to wait for a few more days.
Can you garner enough numbers to form the government?
We are now at 105. We can get the support of independents, too. The coalition has lost the people’s mandate. I have given them 48 hours to respond. Let me see what they decide before I take a decision [on forming the government].