Congress wins 136 seats, BJP 65, JDS 19 :Congress says people of Karnataka have ensured BJP-mukt South India; to decide on new CM in meet at 5 pm tomorrow

Agencies, Mangaluru, 13 May 2023 : Finally The Congress crossed the 113-seat mark in the Assembly elections, the majority required to form the government, in Karnataka and won 136 seats, ousting the BJP from its only southern perch.  

Congress have 136 legislators as its ally Darshan Puttannaiah won from Melukote seat. Puttaswamy Gowda, an independent candidate, also extended support to Congress party. So now it has a majority of 137 seats out of 224. BJP won 65 while JDS 19 and others 3.  

Jubilant Congress workers across the country started celebrating as the grand old party edged towards victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections on Saturday.

The party workers gathered at Congress headquarters in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Bihar to distribute sweets.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat and said he will take full responsibility for the BJP's debacle. Meanwhile, wary of poaching bids by rival parties, the Karnataka Congress has called a legislature party meeting tomorrow.

The Congress in Karnataka secured a comfortable majority, indicating a shift in power from the BJP in its lone southern citadel. This victory, influenced by anti-incumbency, has boosted the morale of the Congress leaders and workers ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"This is a stepping-stone for the Lok Sabha elections," Siddaramaiah predicted triumphantly, adding the victory has happened despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi making 19 campaign trips to the state. He added: "I hope all non-BJP parties come together next year and see the BJP defeated." Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J. P. Nadda also made high-profile, whirlwind tours around the state.

Women voters played key role

The opinion polls calculated that women voters had opted for the Congress in a big way and this appeared to have had a decisive impact on the election. Also, the Muslims seemed to have abandoned the JD(S) and solidly cast their votes for the Congress. Muslims form around 12 per cent of Karnataka’s population. The Scheduled Tribes also look to have voted for the Congress in a big way.

The Congress did particularly well in the Hyderabad Karnataka, Mumbai Karnataka and also the Old Mysuru region which has always been seen as a JD (S) stronghold. The BJP hung on to its Coastal Karnataka stronghold.

For the BJP, the Karnataka defeat was particularly bitter because it has now lost its only stronghold in south India. However, the party can console itself with the fact that it has 26 out of Karnataka’s 28 Lok Sabha seats. Most election strategists reckon that the Narendra Modi factor is likely to play a much stronger role in the national elections. Also, the BJP appears to have held on to its vote share in the election.

BJP, JD(S) big losers

Both the BJP and the JD(S) have come out of the election as big losers. The JD(S) got 37 seats in 2018 and that seems likely to fall to around 22 this time. That was even lower than the pollsters’ predictions of 27. It had been widely forecast in the last few days that the JD(S) would play a prominent role as a kingmaker if the Congress and BJP failed to get a clear majority.

Interestingly, many of the high-profile defectors who switched parties, like Jagdish Shettar, a former chief minister, were trailing by early afternoon in seats that had been thought to be their strongholds. Several Congress defectors who moved to the BJP before the elections were also heading towards defeats. Similarly, many BJP ministers were trailing late in the afternoon.

The BJP, though it has many loyal voters who stayed with it, appears to have been unable to defeat its reputation of being a “40-per-cent commission” government. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was also seen as a particularly weak chief minister. The Karnataka result will also boost the image of Congress Party Leader Mallikarjun Kharge in his home state.

Cong legislative party meet

The newly elected Congress legislators will have to reach Bengaluru by Saturday evening for the vote on the next chief minister. Two powerful personalities, Siddaramaiah, a former chief minister and state party president D. K. Shivakumar are in the running. Siddaramaiah is widely considered the favourite for the job.

The Congress will have to implement many of its pre-poll promises including 200 units of free power to each household, Rs 2,000 for women heading families and a Rs 3,000 dole for unemployed graduates in the 18-25 age group. Diploma-holders will also receive the same payment.

The winning party had also promised to ban the Bajrang Dal and there’s a question mark about whether they will now go ahead and fulfil this pledge.

One big group of losers are the resort owners in Karnataka and several other states who had hoped that, in case of close contest, the political parties would isolate their legislators in an effort to prevent them switching to another party.