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Karnataka election: If JD(S) is the 'kingmaker', Mamata Banerjee is the matchmaker

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Romita Datta
Romita DattaMay 16, 2018 | 09:24

Karnataka election: If JD(S) is the 'kingmaker', Mamata Banerjee is the matchmaker

As the Karnataka election results started pouring in on May 15, Mamata Banerjee at 11.16am tweeted that had the Congress joined hands with the JD(S), things would have been different, "very different".

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A few hours later, the Congress and JD(S) were seen joining hands in front of the camera and pledging to go to the governor and stake claim to form the next government.

Did the Congress and the JD(S) take the hint?

An alliance, which seemed impossible before the election, took just a few hours to be in motion. Even the Congress was ready to vacate the post of the chief minister to the JD(S).

Mamata must have had smiled to herself, having played the "lead role" in trying to stop the BJP from coming to power in Karnataka.

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Giving a hint?

But at the same time she wasted no time in blaming the Congress for not going for a pre-poll alliance. In doing so, she yet again made it clear that Congress was at fault and failed to get the pulse of the voters. The fact that the JD(S) has got a good number of seats, indicates that a joint platform of the Congress and the JD(S) would have had an edge over the BJP, and the alliance would have secured majority.

By pointing this out, Mamata also succeeded in showing the Congress as a less dependable political party, which is egoistic and full of itself.

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Earlier, when the Tripura elections gave a clear mandate in favour of the BJP, Mamata was the first to point out that the saffron party could have been stopped, if the Congress would have entered into an alliance with the independents, tribals and other parties.

She made it clear that the Congress was playing a spoilsport and "giving oxygen to the BJP".

The idea was to start a trail of thought and political debate as to whether it would be politically wise to go with the Congress, which lacks the acumen and the far-sightedness to gauge the political situation.

It was a clear case of denouncing Rahul and his ability to do political thinking. Moreover, by accusing Rahul Gandhi of having given oxygen to the BJP, Mamata Banerjee helped stoke the doubt in people's mind whether it would be wise and pragmatic to go with the Congress under the new AICC president.

Mamata has strong reservations against Rahul Gandhi and being led by him is something she will not agree. In order to avoid such a situation, she floated the idea of a "Federal Front", two years before the 2019 polls. She is trying to bring all regional parties under the umbrella of a federal front in a move to isolate the UPA and win away its partners, which are also not happy with it.

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After the Karnataka polls, by tweeting that message, she sent another signal to the national leaders that the Congress under the leadership of Rahul will dither and miss the bus, as it did in the past, but will never make amends.

 

Last updated: May 16, 2018 | 09:24
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