Karnataka voters refuse to buy BRS bait dangled by JDS, opt for Congress

Hyderabad: While the BRS leaders are talking about the Telangana model attracting people across the country, voters living in border districts of Karnataka seem to have believed in the Congress, but not JDS, which had extensively promised to implement the Telangana schemes if elected.

Telangana has borders with Karnataka districts like Raichur, Yadgir, Bidar, Humnabad and Gulbarga. The BRS leaders had claimed that the schemes of Telangana were attracting people in those districts. Villages in these districts wanted their region to be merged with Telangana.

The party leaders had also organised meetings in those areas explaining to people how Telangana had schemes for all sections. The JDS, led by HD Kumaraswamy, had promised to implement Telangana schemes if elected. However, people in the neighbouring districts seem to have been attracted to the Congress manifesto. The Congress had promised free power, unemployment dole, Rs 2,000 a month for women head of a family, 10 kg rice to every household every month, free travel for women in Karnataka RTC buses.

The constituencies bordering Telangana have seen Congress candidates getting elected. The party won in constituencies like Bidar, Humnabad, Raichur andKoppal.The JDS leader has won from the Gurmitkal constituency in Yadgir district, which is near Kodangal. Interestingly, the same leader was elected once again from the constituency.

According to observers, poverty-ridden districts in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region might have felt that the Congress promises were better for them.

A political analyst from Bidar Vidyasagar Byale said people in Karnataka, particularly in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region have voted either Congress or BJP; they believed that the Congress would be a better alternative to BJP, instead of JDS, specially after its poor track record in governance.