Mysuru: With the election of R Raghu to the legislative council, the BJP has played the most backward class (MBC) card to expand its support in the Old Mysuru region.Raghu, who hails from the Madivala community, is the third legislator from the community in the state and first from southern Karnataka. While its alliance with JD(S) is helping the BJP make inroads into the Vokkaliga vote bank, the party now hopes to consolidate OBC support, particularly in the absence of Siddaramaiah as the Congress’ principal face in the region for the 2028 election.According to BJP insiders, the party is trying to replicate its social engineering strategy adopted in the northern states, especially Bihar. “Congress’ decision to replace Siddaramaiah with a Vokkaliga functionary has now given BJP a much-required opening in the Old Mysuru region where backward and most backward classes are decisive factors. BJP has functionaries like Mysore MP Yaduveer Wadiyar to promote its agenda. Raghu’s selection is expected to help the party win back the votes of the MBCs. There is no guarantee that the Kuruba community will vote Congress like the previous election as Siddaramaiah will not be the party’s face,” said a BJP functionary.“Look at the caste of each of the five Congress candidates who won the legislative council elections. All of them are from numerically strong communities. But BJP adopted a different strategy,” he said.DC Nanjunda, associate professor, Centre for the Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, University of Mysore, said BJP’s strategy is winning the microscopic and submicroscopic communities through careful representation to the communities. “Sangh Parivar is actively working among the submicroscopic communities. Microscopic communities generally stayed with Congress all these years. But now, the BJP is using its social engineer strategy in Karnataka, which is evident in the recent party decisions,” he said.Karnataka State Backward Classes Awareness Forum convener KS Shivaramu, who is closely associated with Siddaramaiah, warned Congress against neglecting these communities. “There is already a feeling that Congress is moving away from these communities as the representation in the party and the power are dwindling to these communities,” he said.“Political recognition is key to winning over these microscopic communities like Kumbara and Madivala. They need to be taken into confidence. But now, these communities are developing a feeling of insecurity in Congress. It must be addressed. Else the party will pay a price in the upcoming elections,” he warned.
