Ancient foes burying the hatchet gives the BJP-Congress battle in Koppal, Karnataka, a new angle

The Koppal parliamentary constituency is filled with déjà vu, but with the fresh uncertainties surrounding these Lok Sabha elections, it doesn’t take long to brush it off.
The Congress and BJP are engaged in a frontal battle this time as well. Afraid of anti-incumbency sentiment, the BJP nominated a rookie orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon, Dr. Basavaraj Kyavater, after he won the seat a hat-trick in 2009, 2014, and 2019.

Congress has put up businessman K Rajasekhar Hitnal once again; he was defeated by the BJP in 2019. 2014 saw Basavaraj Hitnal, Rajashekar’s father, lose to the BJP. However, when the saffron party refused to give him the ticket, Karadi Sanganna, the BJP candidate who had beaten the father and son by a slim margin of 32,000 and 37,000 votes on both occasions, has joined the Congress.

Congress has MLAs in Koppal, Yalaburga, Kanakagiri, Maski, Sindhanur, and Siruguppa, out of the eight assembly constituencies in the constituency; the BJP only has two, in Kushtagi and Gangavathi. Although Janardhana Reddy, a mining tycoon, technically defeated Gangavathi, he eventually united his Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha with the Bharatiya Janata Party. The brother of Koppal MLA Raghvendra Hitnal is running for Congress.

With the BJP fielding a candidate from a dominant caste and the Congress from a backward caste, the perception that this is a struggle between forward- and backward-class groups is reinforced once again. Candidates from the lower classes have only won twice in the last 17 elections, whereas Lingayat candidates have won the majority of the time.

Outstanding difficulties There are significant obstacles for both contenders. Hitnal had to deal with the animosity of former Gangavathi MLA Iqbal Ansari. Ansari feels that the Hitnal family’s connections to his opponents are the reason he lost the most recent assembly elections.

However, Sanganna, their traditional opposition rival, joining Congress from the saffron party has given the Hitnals, who were in a must-win scenario, a boost.
Overcoming Sanganna’s defeat to Congress is Kyavater’s task. He is, nonetheless, completely supported by Janardhana Reddy.

Be tidied up | The effort by Congress has been methodical and comprehensive. Each of the party’s current MLAs has had a fair share of duties, and it has also included previous MLAs. The BJP is running a slow campaign. Though Kyavater is new to politics, a lot more was anticipated because he is the son of a former MLA. However, there aren’t enough capable mentors, and his campaign isn’t doing as well as planned.

The BJP is strongly depending on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tip the scales in its favor, while the Congress is depending on its assurance packages. But a major obstacle for the BJP throughout the campaign has been the absence of memorable slogans or concerns. Both parties are anticipated to hit the campaign route with fresh energy due to the anticipated arrival of prominent campaigners during the course of the week.