The bringing in of younger candidates, while keeping the caste balance intact, is being seen in Karnataka not just as a party turning its face to the future, but also, and perhaps more, as a reordering of the power equations between the state unit and the central party.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who began his address in Karnataka’s Shivamogga with the ‘Bajrangbali ki Jai’ slogan, took a swipe at the Congress, saying that they were “scared” and brought in veteran leader Sonia Gandhi for campaigning after its “lies did not work”.