Congress registers convincing win in Karnataka

PROBLEMS IN BJP

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Strong resentment against the BJP's failure to tame corruption and inflation is among the primary reasons that decided the result of the Karnataka Assembly elections announced on Saturday. The polling took place on 10 May, with the southern state recording its highest-ever turnout of 73.19%.

According to BJP leaders, the party's decision to add religious issues in the election too hurt the party's prospects, especially in the urban seats and likely "pushed" the young voters away.

The voters of Karnataka continued the 38-year trend of changing the incumbent government. The state has never re-elected a party to power since the 1985 elections.

The Congress, as per the latest trend, was winning or leading on 136 of the total 224 seats, a gain of 56 seats from the 2018 elections. The BJP on the other hand was reduced to 64, a loss of 40 seats and more than 90 seats away from the prediction of the party winning on 150 seats made by senior leaders.

At least 12 ministers of the Basavraj Bommai government lost, indicating the anger against the party. Among the prominent leaders who lost are C.T. Ravi (National General Secretary in charge of Goa, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu), and a protégé of organizational general secretary B.L. Santhosh.

Ravi lost from Chikkabalapur. Of the eight Assembly constituencies that constitute the Bangalore rural Lok Sabha seat, Congress won on six. In the last elections, it had won three of them. In Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat, which has eight Assembly seats, Congress won four. In the last elections it won three seats.

While the BJP had dropped at least 20 MLAs from those 104 who had won in the 2018 polls, it could not shake off the perception of being unable to run the administration in the coastal state efficiently. Incidentally, the BJP lost 64 seats this time, the same it had gained in the 2018 elections.