Karnataka - Bijapur   

Bijapur Lok Sabha result, an eye-opener for BJP, Congress

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIJAPUR, MAY 17. Though Basanagouda R. Patil Yatnal has retained the Bijapur Lok Sabha seat, there has not been much jubilation in the party.

The fact remains that Mr. Yatnal's win was considered certain and the margin of victory expected was high. But his victory margin was 36,533 votes, which is 106 votes fewer than last time's figure. (In 1999, his victory margin was 36,639 votes.)

More than any thing else, the vote share of Mr. Yatnal, who secured 48.8 per cent last time, dropped by 5.2 percentage points. This time, he polled 43.6 per cent votes. In 1999 also there was simultaneous elections. The Congress had then won five of the eight Assembly seats while the BJP and an independent won the other seats.

The Congress's vote share in the Assembly election was almost 42 per cent (41.91 per cent) while the BJP and Janata Dal (U) which had an alliance together polled 33.1 per cent. Yet, Mr. Yatnal got a lead in six Assembly segments.

This time, the BJP increased its Assembly seat tally to three with an increased vote share of 35.2 per cent. Mr. Yatnal had another advantage of being a Minister. He has the credit of visiting the maximum number of villages in his constituency. He stood first in the State in utilising the MPLAD funds.

This should have helped him register an impressive victory margin. Mr. Yatnal's Congress rival, B.S. Patil Managuli, a six-time MLA and former Minister, secured more votes in all the three Assembly segments, where the party candidates won.

The votes Mr. Yatnal polled was 16 percentage points more than what (party) Assembly candidates got. But this time, the gap reduced to eight percentage points.

Another reason attributed to the less than expected show by Mr. Yatnal was the presence of a relatively stronger Janata Dal (S) which won the Ballolli (reserved) Assembly seat, and finished second in Sindagi and Muddebihal segments. Its candidate in the Lok Sabha elections, N.S. Khed, polled almost equal number votes.

Had the BJP's candidates who won in Bijapur and Sindagi Assembly segments not given a big lead to Mr. Yatnal, the result, perhaps, might have been different.

The election has highlighted the party's weakness at the grassroots level thanks to its poor presence in gram panchayats. Apparently, the BJP leaders have realised that the party can consolidate itself only if its winning streak continues in local bodies elections early next year.

It is also an eye opener for the Congress, which tried to reap political dividends by triggering defections from rival parties. The strong anti-incumbency wave proved counterproductive for then Congress's Lok Sabha candidate.

The vote share of the Congress also dropped by 5.1 percentage points from 44 per cent in 1999 election.

The Janata Dal (S), which had secured five per cent votes in the 1999 Lok Sabha election, got 17.4 per cent votes this time because of the presence of strong Assembly candidates in some segments. The party gained at the cost of the BJP and the Congress.

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