New Delhi: Contrary to expectations, it would not be a cakewalk for the BJP in Karnataka where the saffron party is trying to wrest power from the Congress, party feedback suggested.
In a redux of the Gujarat battle, both BJP and Congress seem to be heading for a tough contest in the southern state. While the Congress, which is in power, is battling anti-incumbency, it is not going to be a cakewalk for the BJP either as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to be on a resurgent mode from the past 7-8 months.
Though the BJP top brass has managed to contain the issue of factionalism, only the results of the Assembly elections will prove whether or not declaring party stalwart B.S. Yeddyurappa as the chief ministerial candidate was a good decision, sources said.
Though Mr Yeddyurappa is a prominent face of the Lingayats, a numerically strong community, Mr Siddaramaiah is also playing the caste card shrewdly this time
Another issue, which the saffron poll managers have been closely monitoring, is that of how the Dalit vote bank will react to the spurt in anti-Dalit incidents in the country under the BJP led NDA rule.
