Bengaluru: The Janata Dal (Secular) JD(S) in Karnataka is already off the block for the 2023 Assembly elections with ‘Mission 123+’. Usually slow in its political takeoff, the JD(S) this time is desperate to regain lost ground in the state.
'Mission 123+' aims at capturing over 123 of the 224 assembly seats at stake and the strategy is a carbon copy of the tactics adopted by the Bhartiya Janata Party in West Bengal ahead of the Assembly polls there. Like what the BJP did in Bengal, the JDS has divided the assembly seats into three categories -- A (easy win), B (a contest) and C (a tough contest), depending on the nature of the fight. But the JD(S) has inserted one more category -- A+ -- where the party not only has a strong base, but also a strong candidate.
Top leaders of the JD(S) discussed the 'Mission 123+' strategy in a brainstorming session on the first day of the four-day Janata Parva 1.0 — a workshop for legislators and ticket hopefuls at former CM HD Kumaraswamy’s farmhouse near Bidadi on Monday.
The workshop comes at a time when the JD(S) is fast losing its political footprint in the state and is facing a major revolt from three of its key legislators — Chamundeshwari MLA G T Devegowda, Gubbi MLA S R Srinivas and Kolar MLA K Srinivas Gowda. Significantly, the three kept away from the workshop amid rumours that they may join either the Congress or the BJP.
On the workshop, Kumarasmway had this to say: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi faced the 2014 Lok Sabha elections with the slogan ‘Mission 272+’. We are going with ‘Mission 123+ for the 2023 Assembly elections. The JD(S) will not focus on all the 224 seats, but on ‘winnable’ constituencies. The party has decided to field newbies in 20-25 seats.”
On the possibility of poaching, Kumaraswamy said: “The Congress is in touch with some of our leaders, including those who came second in several constituencies in the 2018 elections. But I am not worried about such people... I did not invite them to the workshop.”
On the poor show of the JD(S) in the past, former PM and party supremo HD Deve Gowda said: “No one, including Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who often criticises our party, can finish off JD(S) in Karnataka. There is a lot of propaganda by our critics that we are soft on the BJP and will ally with them. But we will teach our critics a lesson in the 2023 polls.”
