Karnataka is expected to hold its Legislative Assembly in April 2018. Congress and the BJP are the main parties contesting over 224 constituency seats in the state. In July 2017 the Congress party announced that they would have their list of candidates six months before the elections date. The BJP, on the other hand, had reiterated that their candidate would be known by the end of last year. The JD party was expected to release their names this month. To date, the parties have not come forward with their list of candidates.
It is only recently on Saturday 27 that Congress party president, Rahul Gandhi approved a 70-member campaign committee. DK Shiva Kumar heads the team. The committee is tasked to oversee candidate selection exercises among other functions.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently averred that Congress would release its list of contenders before March. Unlike Congress’s 70 man committee, the BJP relies on its central leadership to come up with a list of candidates.
Effects of the Delay to Announce Candidates
The announcement of candidates and delay of candidate lists is well within the law. But the predicament has the grassroots party workers confused as they do not know whom they are working for. In normal circumstances when they know their candidate, they could begin mobilizing campaigns and strategies to aid their candidates to win.
The phenomenon has also created aspects of rumors to prevail at constituency levels. A grassroots Congress worker said that there are rumors in their party that the party will give tickets to contenders even if they are outsiders provided they win the elections. This criterion is wildly recognized as a BJP strategy.
A BJP member acknowledged that party workers and ticket contenders are confused over the last minute candidate selection process. He hopes that the central BJP leadership will take decisions according to their internal survey and not bring in an outsider.
Possible Reasons for Delay
The parties could intentionally be withholding to release the names to work from a vantage point. One their list is known, rival parties could have a field day in discrediting their candidates. Another risk is having their winning candidates poached. The JD(S) postponed its plan to release the first list of candidates for fear of pilfering.
Another reason is to give time for dissenters from rival parties to join, a move that could strengthen party affiliation with constituents. Therefore the links could be intentional.
