JOIN USKarnataka Assembly election result: Congress winning big against BJP’s debacle
Heavy anti-incumbency, fueled by the BJP’s perceived bad performance and anger among the poor, has propelled the Congress towards a thumping victory in Karnataka that will send out a big signal for the road ahead.
The Congress is poised to form the government in Karnataka in an election that saw the BJP failing to put up a fight despite deploying the weight of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign in the state.
The Congress looks to be set to go beyond 120 seats, far ahead of the BJP that could nosedive to below 70 seats and JD(S) struggling at 25.
Congress’ poll guarantees concerning the poor and lower middle class have yielded electoral dividends as voters from these segments seem to have preferred a government that would offer direct cash benefits and free electricity.
The BJP is getting hammered in several parts of the state, including central Karnataka, which signals the debacle that was in the making.
The Congress is clocking a vote share of nearly 43 per cent, a huge five percentage points increase from 2018, indicating solid consolidation among various social groups. It is said that the Congress was successful in gaining Lingayat votes, the traditional support base of the BJP.
Problems started for the BJP ever since it decided to go in for a change in leadership by replacing its veteran BS Yediyurappa - the tallest Lingayat face - with Basavaraj Bommai as the chief minister in July 2021. The BJP felt the lack of a mass leader in Bommai who could not deliver Karnataka to the saffron party. On the other hand, the Congress had Siddaramaiah.
Yediyurappa’s exit forced the BJP to double down on its dependence on the Lingayat community, which gave Congress an opportunity to make inroads.
The BJP’s plan to beat back anti-incumbency by replacing 24 sitting MLAs appears to have failed to work. Many of them are trailing.
Also, the BJP’s failure to counter the Congress’ narrative on corruption, especially the popular ‘40% commission’ allegation, is writ large. The saffron party was too late in trying to counter the Congress’ freebies. Then, there was little time in breaking the ice with voters on what the BJP would do if voted to power.