S M Krishna joins BJP a year before Karnataka Assembly polls

Krishna joined BJP in Delhi in the presence of party president Amit Shah

Former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, giving the party a crucial urban face and a leader amongst the dominant Vokkaliga community ahead of the Assembly elections next year.

Krishna, as the Congress chief minister played a role in helping Bengaluru retain the tag of India's tech hub against Chandrababu Naidu's Hyderabad in the early 2000's. He had roped in Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani and got him involved in improving Bengaluru's infrastructure. His urban focus had drawn the ire of rural voters across Karnataka, reeling under drought, losing power in an ill-timed election that he expected to capitalise on the United Progressive Alliance's (UPA's) rise nationally.

Besides having a sway on urban voters, Krishna, 84, is also an influential leader among the Vokkaliga community, dominant in southern Karnataka, where BJP has struggled to make significant inroads in the largely agrarian region.

Krishna joined the BJP in Delhi in the presence of party president Amit Shah and was flanked by all the three Karnataka ministers - Ananth Kumar, Sadananda Gowda and Ramesh Jigajinagi in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.

The party, looking to a comeback in Karnataka - its gateway in South India, is set to capitalise on Krishna's presence, who quit Congress two months ago for the Assembly by-polls in Mysuru region being held in April. Karnataka will see by-elections in two Assembly seats - Gundlupet and Chamarajanagar.

Both seats were represented by the Congress in the last elections and have fallen vacant - Gundlupet due to the death of former minister Mahadeva Prasad and Chamrajanagar after minister Srinivasa Prasad, a close confidante of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah fell out with him to quit the Congress and join the BJP.

The by-polls would be the precursor to the next year's elections. After BJP won the UP elections with a massive margin, it has set its eyes on Karnataka. It carries the baggage of its scam-tainted past in the state. Its campaign leader, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who belongs to the other dominant Lingayat community has lost steam and his tiffs with K S Eshwarappa has made BJP appear like a divided house.

With the Central leadership looking at a repeat of UP in Karnataka, the party has already swung in action to campaign against the Siddaramaiah government. BJP is holding street protests, has roped in Kumar Bangarappa, son of former chief minister S Bangarappa into the party and is holding meetings across the state.

Yet, it may have to depend on the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a dent against the Congress, which has taken a leaf out of the BJP to market its achievements over the last four years of rule.