Given that Karnataka was the only southern Indian state under BJP dominance and that it would have 28 seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, this victory can give the Congress much-needed morale support.
Congress was aided by a well-established, unifying leadership, messaging focused on regional issues, a powerful social coalition, and a cunning campaign that took advantage of voter dissatisfaction.
Source:- https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/iuml-to-back-congress-in-karnataka-elections/cid/1927045
No party had won a simple majority in Karnataka Assembly elections since 2004 until the Congress did so with 135 seats and 42.9% of the votes.
Rahul Gandhi, the head of the Congress, presented his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, which covered more than 50 seats across seven districts, as a victory of the underprivileged over capitalists. It indicates a shift of preferences for voters .The new government will put into effect the "five promises," free electricity for 200 units, free bus transport for women throughout Karnataka, allowances for unemployed graduates and diploma holders, 10 kg of free rice for low-income families, and a monthly stipend of 2,000 rupees for families headed by women.
The magnitude of Congress's win shows that the underprivileged were a major factor in its achievement. By concentrating on causes and initiatives rather than depending, as the BJP did, on expensive infrastructure or PM Modi's character, the Congress party appears to have performed better. The Vokkaliga community split its support between the BJP and Congress against the JDS, and it appears that the Congress party gained seats in the farm belt.
Additionally, the Congress has vowed to offer reservations to communities proportionate to their population and raise the quota for other backward castes and others from the existing 50% to 75%.
The Congress may have discovered a model for the future with its triumph in Karnataka, if not nationally then at least in other states. It took advantage of the advantages of its two main local leaders, party president Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, who both had remarkable organizational skills and had a broad, rural appeal. With less than a year until the legislative elections in 2024, the victory — and its resounding nature — is clearly a boost for the Congress.
It offers it a fourth state where it is in control, probably the most important political and economic state. In South India, the Congress comes back to power on its own after a long absence.
But now the Congress faces a significant challenge. In December 2018, six months prior to Lok Sabha elections ,the party captured Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh. The circumstances were comparable. These also had influential regional leaders from the Congress who spearheaded the campaign and put their disagreements aside. However, all this failed as due to the conflicts among the leaders, the incapacity to negotiate and carry out a suitable agreement hurt the Congress badly.
The departure of Jyotiraditya Scindia and a number of state lawmakers led to the downfall of the Kamal Nath administration in MP. In an open uprising against Ashok Gehlot's administration, Sachin Pilot is currently marching through Rajasthan. And differences between TS Singhdeo and Bhupesh Baghel, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, could hurt the party's chances in elections later this year.
But if the Congress is successful in navigating these leadership changes as skillfully as it did during the campaign, it creates a window for the 2024 elections in a state where the BJP won 25 of the 28 seats.
The importance of choosing strong candidates who prioritize local issues must then be recognised by both parties, as this has a significant impact on election outcomes.. This is a monument to the reality that assembly elections cannot be won only in the name of PM Modi. In assembly elections, local issues take precedence over national political issues, and parties must accord them the weight they require.
Similar to how Congress has long made the error of blaming all of its successes on the Gandhi family, which has restricted its own appeal. In Karnataka, however, it took a different tack by acknowledging state-level issues. The Karnataka defeat is probably going to hurt the BJP's chances of luring Telangana leaders. K. Annamalai, the state party chief of Tamil Nadu, who served as the party's poll co-incharge in Karnataka, might find it harder to maintain his position as a result of the defeat.
India's aspirational youth must continue to be educated against any propaganda that would make them feel powerless in a land of opportunities or prevent them from electing representatives at all levels, from local to national. Political leaders must work hard to present them with the facts of democracy while protecting them from fear-mongering.
It is impossible to exaggerate how crucial Karnataka is to the BJP. The state is significant due to Bengaluru's status as a center for the IT industry and startups, a draw for foreign direct investment (FDI), the home of many major corporations, and other factors. It has been crucial for the BJP to show that it is an all-India party.
Unquestionably, corruption was a major factor in the formation of the current regime. Congress cleverly painted the BJP as a "40% commission" administration during the Karnataka election campaign, making corruption the main topic of discussion. The results of this election and the campaign demonstrate that corruption is a significant problem in Karnataka.
In fact, corruption has frequently determined the fate of ruling governments throughout India's political history.
Article by:- Shashank Subramani
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