BRS eyes 40 Assembly seats with sizable Telugu vote share

HYDERABAD: The BRS, which decided to make its foray into electoral politics outside Telangana, has identified nearly 40 Assembly constituencies in 12 districts of Karnataka where Telugu voters play a significant role in determining the fate of candidates.

After the election notification is issued on April 13 in Karnataka, the party leadership intends to deploy a team of ministers, MLAs, and MPs to each of the 40 Assembly constituencies to campaign for the JDS. The party has identified the districts of Ballari, Kolara, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru Urban, Raichuru, Koppala, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Chikkaballapura, Yadgiri, Bidar, and Kalaburagi as having a sizable Telugu voter population that has migrated from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for various reasons. It is believed that Telugu voters outnumber locals in these districts.

Typically, the fate of contesting parties in the Karnataka Assembly elections is decided by the Lingayats, Vokkaligas, Ahindas (Backward Classes), Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes. However, Telugu voters play a decisive role in these 12 districts, BRS sources said.

With the BJP, Congress, and JDS expected to square off in a triangular fight in the Karnataka Assembly elections, it is widely believed that the margin of victory between candidates in several Assembly constituencies will be less than 5,000 votes, and against this backdrop, Telugu voters will become the deciding factor.
Karnataka has 224 Assembly constituencies, and the victory margin in the 52 seats was less than 5,000 votes in the 2018 Assembly polls. The pre-poll surveys suggest that this time too, there will be over 50 seats where the parties are expected to win by a margin of less than 5,000 votes.

The data gathered by BRS leaders found that Telugu voters account for 76 per cent of voters in Kolar district and potentially influence elections in six constituencies. Telugu voters make up 65 per cent of the vote share in the Bengaluru Rural and can impact results in four constituencies, while they make up 49 per cent of the vote share in the Bengaluru Urban district and can influence results in 28 constituencies.

The other districts include Raichuru with 64 per cent voters and seven constituencies, Ballari district with 63 per cent voters and nine constituencies, Chikkaballapura district with 49 per cent vote share and five constituencies and Koppal district with 43 per cent vote share and five constituencies.