Biggest win for any party in state since 1989
Bengaluru : Indian National Congress stormed back to power in Karnataka with clear Majority of 135 out of 224 Assembly constituencies. Biggest win for any party in state since 1989.Building on a strong anti-incumbency mood created in party by voter concerns on prices and graft, congress comfortably swept past the majority mark of 113. Whereas ruling BJP got 66 seats.
Modi-led BJP made an all-out bid to break the almost 10-year jinx of no party winning assembly polls in Karnataka back-to-back, and failed –losing its only foothold in the south. For Congress which handn’t won a single large state since 2018.
Congress went ballistic over, the Engg scam ,police recruitment scam, and KSDL tender scam involving a BJP legislator. The BJP leadership did not counter the Congress effectively and assumed that corruption would not get traction among voters. Congress highlighted issues that directly impacted pople. While former CM Siddaramaiah slammed BJP for reducing the monthly allotment of rice to the poor from 10kgs to 5kgand skyrocketing fertiliser prices, Shivakumar attached bjp for hiking LPG prices. These issues convinced women voters they were being shortchanged.
The congress offered “ Guarantees of Change and Development”, a bunch of freebies. The top leaders presented these cards to voters and increased their confidence in the Congress. In the run-up to voting, BJP tried to drum up support with the Double Engine catch phrase but Congress countered it by reiterating its ‘One vote, five guarantees’ assurance. Congress also took advantage of BJP’s move to meddle with internal reservation, especially with Banjara community.
At the end of the campaign, BJP brought in PM Narendra Modi for roadshows. However, the Congress brought in AICC chief Mallikarjuna Kharge along with Rahul Gandhi, who mingled with the common man, Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to neutralise the Modi effect.
Congress thumping victory clearly indicates a major swing in Lingayat support from BJP to Congress . It ended decades of alienation that the grand old party suffered at the hands of politically dominant community. Congress had fielded a total of 46 Lingayat candidates of whom 37 won. On the other hand, only nine Lingayats won from BJP although it fielded 69 candidates from the community.
The consolidation of Muslim votes, nearly 13% of the electorate, was apparent in favour of Congress. It’s usually split between the Congress and JD(S).The party had promised to restore the 4% quota for Muslims which was scrapped by the BJP government.
From a failure to tackle the “40% sarakara” corruption changes and allowing an anti-Lingayat perception to grow to heavy dependence on PM Modi for its campaign, several misfires appear to have led BJP’S poor show in the election. BJP also failed to gauge the distress among people, especially in rural areas, due to the rise in prices of LPG and other items. Congress ‘five poll promises had the opposite impact on voters.
According to Jairam Ramesh, The intangible impact of Bharat jodo was uniting the party, reviving the cadre and shaping the narrative for Karnataka elections. it was during the yatra, from many conversations that Rahul Gandhi had, that the guarantees and promises helped in preparing the manifesto.
Election completed and results out now process of selecting next chief minister from congress party started. Due to competition between former cm Siddaramaiah and KPCC President D K Shivakumar for the CM’s post. The CLP meeting held at Bengaluru’s Shangari La hotel has unanimously decided to leave the selection of congress legislature party (CLP) leader to the decision of AICC President, Mallikarjun Kharge who is in delhi will have meeing with congress high command to take final decision.
