Modi aiming to get BJP a southern foothold with Karnataka win

BENGALURU, India (Reuters): Prime Minister Narendra Modi has thrown himself into a campaign to win a tight election in Karnataka this weekend and secure a beachhead in the south, ahead of his own re-election bid next year.

Karnataka, home to India’s Silicon Valley capital of Bengaluru, is the first big state electing an assembly this year to be followed by three others in the final test of popularity before a general election due next May.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, which has its core base of support in the north and west, has pinned its hopes on Karnataka because it has little presence in any of the southern states dominated by regional parties.

It has held power before in Karnataka and Modi is addressing rallies to win back the state from the main opposition Congress party and build momentum for the general election.

“Now that the countdown has begun for 2019, a victory or defeat in Karnataka is bound to influence the battle of perceptions,” said political columnist Neerja Chowdhury.

“The BJP has viewed Karnataka as a ‘gateway to the south’ and the Karnataka prize could help the party acquire a pan-India profile,” she said.

Defeat, on the other hand, would re-energise Congress under Rahul Gandhi, the fifth generation scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which is trying to exploit dissatisfaction over a lack of jobs for young people and rising fuel prices.

On Tuesday, Modi, by far the main vote-getter for the BJP, was back on the stump, addressing rallies across the state and vowing to make a militarily and economically strong India.

Modi’s supporters, many clad in scarves and caps in the saffron colour of his party, chanted his name as they filled a street in Koppal district.

The election is on Saturday and the votes will be counted on May 15 with the result declared that day.