Q/ What is the idea behind Mission 123?
A/ It is a unique experiment where we train our leaders and cadres to help the party win a clear majority and put an end to coalition politics in the state. I have had a tough time in coalition governments, and I have now resolved to achieve a target of 123 seats in the 2023 assembly polls. We have started early so that we can organise better and look beyond our traditional bastions.
Q/ Is the coalition system a bane? How good were the Congress and the BJP as your partners?
A/ The coalition system in Karnataka has always posed challenges. In 2004, we formed a coalition with the Congress after a hung verdict. But the Congress tried to finish off my party. I was forced to join hands with the BJP. Our national president (H.D. Deve Gowda) had decided to go for the polls, but owing to pressure from my party MLAs, who were not inclined to contest early polls, I yielded and formed an alternative coalition with the BJP.
Interestingly, the BJP had not tasted power in the state until then; it was not so strong at the Centre, too. So BJP leaders in the state were cooperative and there was no interference from the leaders in Delhi. But after 20 months, when the time came to transfer power to the BJP, its national leadership intentionally created issues to tarnish my image. They were no longer interested in the coalition. B.S. Yediyurappa was chief minister for only nine days and the coalition collapsed.
Q/ Do you consider the BJP to be a stronger opponent than the Congress?
A/ The current BJP is stronger, no doubt. But we all have witnessed their style of governance. Ahead of the 2018 polls, the Congress had spread propaganda that the JD(S) was the B-team of the BJP. This benefited the BJP, which bagged 105 seats; the Congress was reduced to 78. In its zeal to finish off a regional and secular party, the Congress ended up strengthening the BJP.
Q/ What stopped your party from growing beyond south Karnataka?
A/ The JD(S) is perhaps a victim of its own image. There is a perception that the party is restricted to the Old Mysuru region and that it belongs to a particular caste or community (Vokkaliga). But the party is finding acceptance in north Karnataka and even coastal Karnataka. The support is yet to translate into votes, though. So this time, we decided to start early, identify candidates in each region, and strengthen the party base across all regions and communities.
Q/ Going by the past elections, a clear majority is a daunting task for any political party in Karnataka.
A/ In 2013, the BJP was reduced to 40 seats and the Congress bagged only 122. Yediyurappa had quit the BJP and floated his own party. The Congress would have got 78 seats had Yediyurappa stayed in the BJP. The vote share of the JD(S), since 1999, has remained around 20 per cent. We are evolving a strategy to scale up our share by another 10 per cent. An increase in vote share alone might not help as it might not translate into more seats, especially if the additional votes lead to victories by huge margins.
As per my calculation, a vote share of 28 per cent can still deliver a clear majority [of seats] if we focus on seats where we have lost by very narrow margins. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party had similar vote shares ranging from 28 to 32 per cent each. But the rate of seat conversion was better in the BJP’s case. In Karnataka, the Congress won only 78 seats with its vote share of 36 per cent; the BJP bagged 105 seats with 33 per cent.