The Gujarat results have  triggered a fresh debate in  Karnataka’s political circles. While the BJP state unit was in unison welcoming the BJP rule in Gujarat in Himachal and Gujarat and assuring their High command of a BJP regime in 2018 polls  on a “Gujarat Model”, the chief minister Siddaramaiah has gone on the offensive.   Ridiculing the BJP leaders’ talk of a “Gujarat model” of development, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Tuesday it was time to talk about a “Karnataka model” based on its various Bhagyas and pro-poor schemes.

While Siddarmaiah is confident that his  “Karnataka Model” will bring him to power, the state BJP is still banking on the much promoted “Gujarat Model” to bring in the votes in 2018. The Parivartan Yatre undertaken by former Chief Minister Yeddyurappa has  been an effort to get the pulse of the state before the party top brass camps in Bengaluru.

Continuing with his NavaKarnataka Yatra across the state , the chief minister addressing a “Sadhana Samavesha” in Jamkhandi town of Bagalkot district said that Karnataka had seen tremendous growth over the last five years, and the Congress government had fulfilled all its promises made before its election.

While Siddaramaiah is confident that people would re-elect the Congress in 2018 elections, speaking to the media he  said  there was no anti-incumbency wave in the state.  Not disturbed by the attacks on him by the opposition“Yeddyurappa calls me an unfit Chief Minister. But the language  used by the BJP leaders shows their culture,” Mr Siddaramaiah added, also hitting out at Union Minister, Ananth Kumar Hegde for “stoking  communal fires” in the state.

Meanwhile bolstered by the win in Gujarat , the BJP has deputed Bhupender Yadav , a close lieutenant of BJP President Amit Shah. The party understands that it has got voted to power by a whisker in Gujarat and seems determined not to repeat its mistakes in Karnataka, which goes to polls in May 2018.

BJP  is said to be making  elaborate plans, including restructuring of key positions and hitting the campaign trail across the state “Considering the internal bickering and likely strategies by the ruling Congress, the party’s national leadership does not want Karnataka to go the Gujarat way and wants to decimate the Congress.  The party is making structural changes to the party and its plans will be communicated to state leaders, paving way for the big battle scheduled to be held in May 2018,” a senior BJP leader said.