BJP Grapples with Low Voter Turnout and Sexual Harassment Charges Against JD(S) Leaders

BJP Grapples with Low Voter Turnout and Sexual Harassment Charges Against JD(S) Leaders

The decrease in voting participation in the first two rounds of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections worries the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The state sections of the party have been given harsh criticism by their leaders, who have instructed their staff to step up their outreach and encourage high voter turnout. On the one hand, the party maintains that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is still a popular leader and that there is no anti-incumbency movement against it. On the other side, it worries that a decline in voting may affect its goal of gaining more than 400 seats in the 543-seat Lok Sabha and raising the vote share to 50%.

Chief ministers of states where the Bharatiya Janata Party is in power have been requested to make sure that outreach is not slack and that booth workers are visible in person rather than launching social media campaigns. The party’s youth wing, Yuva Morcha, stated on X on Sunday that the slogan “Aaye ga to Modi hi” might lead to voters becoming complacent. It stated that electors can decide not to cast a ballot if they believe Modi’s return to power is inevitable.

Allegations against JD(S) leaders

JD(S) leaders Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna are accused of sexual harassment in Karnataka, which has put the party’s ally BJP in a difficult situation. Their presence has tainted the BJP’s state campaign. Even though the Karnataka Congress administration has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to look into the validity of the claims, party officials in the state have remained silent on the subject. Prajwal and HD Revanna allegedly used to sexually abuse female employees, according to the complainant in this case.

There have been several pornographic movies floating around that are allegedly of Prajwal Revanna. It looked like several of them showed sexual assault. Since the SIT’s establishment, Prajwal Revanna, the grandson of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, has left the nation. He asserted that the videos were phony and meant to discredit him.

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The charge against the JD (S) leaders is being taken seriously by the opposition. The BJP’s woes are made worse by rumors circulating within the party that the grievances went unnoticed. The state leadership was forewarned by BJP officials in Karnataka’s Hassan district regarding charges, and they were against Prajwal Revanna’s candidacy for the Lok Sabha from the constituency. According to the report, state party chairman B.Y. Vijayendra received a letter from BJP leader Devaraje Gowda on the charges made against Prajwal Revanna. Gowda wanted to draw national officials’ attention to the issue and persuade them to break with the family.