ON COUNTING DAY, former Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, 63, was glued to the TV set at his JP Nagar residence in Bengaluru. The JD(S) leader had flown in from Singapore the previous night to be at home to track the results and possibly celebrate in case of a hung verdict. The JD(S) had fancied itself as a kingmaker, having got the chief ministership in coalition governments twice earlier—with the BJP in 2006 and the Congress in 2018—despite coming third. But its chances came to naught this time, as the Congress won 135 of 224 seats. The JD(S) bagged a mere 19 seats.
What was more shocking was the party losing ground in its bastion— the Vokkaliga belt in the Old Mysuru region. The Congress won 37 of the 59 seats; it had won only 20 in 2018. The JD(S) won only 14 seats as against 29 in 2018. Its vote share, too, dipped from 18.3 per cent in 2018 to 13.3 per cent in 2023.
This story is from the May 28, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the May 28, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
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