Karnataka poll verdict: Why BJP doesn't care what it did in Goa and Manipur

Amit Shah, once again, has managed to successfully pull a rabbit out of his hat. After sneakily grabbing power in Goa and Manipur, BJP’s master strategist Amit Shah has made another state "Congress-mukt". Despite being on the back foot, perhaps for the first time since 2014, the BJP bested the Congress and put BS Yeddyurappa on the CM seat in Karnataka.

As the "nataka" in Karnataka continues, the voter is reminded of the saga which unfolded in March in 2017 after the Goa Assembly elections. The Congress had emerged as the single largest party after the 2017 Assembly polls in Goa, bagging 17 of the 40 seats. The ruling BJP was contained to just 13. Even before the Congress could figure out what was happening, the BJP’s master strategist swooped in, check-mated the Congress and made Manohar Parrikar the CM.

Karnataka Governor's letter inviting BJP's BS Yeddyurappa to form government. #KarnatakaElectionResults2018 pic.twitter.com/EafBULC7nr

— ANI (@ANI) May 16, 2018

The BJP president swung into action as soon as the results started trickling in. Shah rushed Nitin Gadkari, the BJP leader in-charge of Goa, to the state to begin the hectic parleys. What followed was a sleepless night for Gadkari as he tried to lure in prospective alliance partners. The Goa Forward Party and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party agreed to support the BJP, but with a rider: they wanted Manohar Parrikar to give up the defence ministry at the Centre and return as chief minister. Parrikar, who never liked living in Delhi in the first place, readily agreed to return to his beloved state.

As the Congress high command slept through the developments, the BJP cobbled up the numbers and by 8.30am the next day, the path was cleared for the former CM to return to Goa again. 

On March 14, 2017, Manohar Parrikar took oath as the chief minister of Goa for the a fourth time. He included three MLAs of the Goa Forward Party in his cabinet, two from the MGP and two independent MLAs. Despite Congress finishing first, the BJP managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. While Digvijaya Singh, Congress in-charge of Goa, came under fire for mishandling the situation, many Congress MLAs felt let down by the top leadership.

Having fumbled badly, the Congress moved the Supreme Court against the Goa governor’s decision to appoint Parrikar as the chief minister of the state. While rejecting the plea, the apex court ordered the governor to hold a floor test, which proved to be a cakewalk for Parrikar.

Not just in Goa, the BJP outwitted the Congress in Manipur too. The BJP, though behind, managed to make it first across the finish line. The Congress leaders were caught napping, just like Goa. Though the Congress emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats, the BJP, with the support of four MLAs each from the Naga People’s Front and National People’s Party and one MLA from the Lok Janshakti Party, formed the govt.

In Meghalaya also, the BJP, with just two seats in the 60-member House, outmanoeuvred the Congress, which had won 21 seats. Amit Shah played a pivotal role in stitching up a mega-alliance and secured the support of 34 legislators to form the next government.

What followed were praises for Amit Shah’s political acumen and ruthlessness. The BJP president moved even closer to his publicly proclaimed dream of Congress-mukt Bharat. The fact that they were rejected by the voters didn’t matter.

The BJP’s tally was down to 13 from 21 seats in 2012, but their strategy of "Saam Daam Dand Bhed" won them many supporters.

Cut to 2018, the Congress tried to adopt the same strategy. Having learnt its lessons, the Congress wasted no time in reaching out to the JDS, a leaf it took straight out of the BJP’s books. The Congress tried to use past precedents to stake claim to form government, but it failed miserably.

Last year, Amit Shah had said, “In case of a fractured mandate, the process is to procure written support. We managed it while they were undecided.” Arun Jaitley too had slammed the Congress for “complaining a bit too much” and had argued that it was obvious that post-poll alliances would be formed if the election threw up an inconclusive verdict.

The rules of the game have not changed, but the tables have been turned. The Congress tried to pull a Goa on the BJP by tying up with the JD(S) and staking claim to power. The BJP, which has literally shown the Congress how it is done, is now accusing the grand old party of immorality. 

Governor Vajubhai Vala, as expected, favoured his mentor Narendrabhai, but this time the Congress was more alert. It knocked on the doors of the Supreme Court, which has given the BJP 24 hours to prove its majority. It’s important to note that the apex court gave the BJP the opportunity to bat first, despite the party not winning the toss.

Will it be deja vu for Yeddyurappa, who in 2007 was the CM for only a week, or will the BJP prove the cynics right and sail through by "winning" the support of the eight more MLAs needed within 24 hours?  

The "nataka" in Karnataka has the country transfixed.

Also read: Post midnight court drama ensures Karnataka poll verdict solution won't come anytime soon