Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: While a lot is at stake for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Karnataka assembly elections, a lot is at stake for the Congress as well. While a win in this southern state will give the Congress a ‘sanjeevani’ for the upcoming assembly elections and strengthen its position at the central level, a win here for the BJP will give wings to its hopes of expanding its footprint in the south and winning it again before 2024. Will put you in a strong position.
However, people will vote on Wednesday (May 10) to elect a new government in Karnataka. In the initial days of the nearly month-long election campaign, issues related to governance along with ideology dominated, but the ‘entry’ of Lord Hanuman in the last phase made the contest interesting.
From ‘double engine’ government to ‘five guarantees’
As the Congress tried to garner electoral gains by raking up the issue of ’40 per cent commission government’ over alleged corruption under the BJP government led by BS Yediyurappa and then Basavaraj Bommai, the BJP tried to capitalize on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘charisma’ and Counting the benefits of the ‘double engine’ government, he tried his best to help the public. The opposition Congress party announced a slew of welfare measures and concessions including ‘five guarantees’ and promised to increase the total reservation to 75 per cent from the current 50 per cent.
However, its manifesto promises to crack down on organizations like the Bajrang Dal and the already banned radical Islamist body PFI, including a ban on them, and restore the four per cent quota for Muslims, gave the BJP an opportunity to capitalize on these. In this hope, BJP left no stone unturned to promote its cause of Hindutva.
many accusations against each other
After the Congress manifesto was released on May 2, the BJP brought both the issues to the center of the election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself accused the opposition party of trying to ‘bandh’ those who raise slogans of Lord Hanuman and his glory. Slogans of ‘Bajrang Bali ki Jai’ started being raised in Modi’s rallies, BJP leaders targeted the Congress and accused it of ‘appeasement politics’.
Senior BJP leader BL Santhosh said during the campaign that it is the Congress which brought this issue to the fore. He said that in such a situation BJP will definitely take it up. However, Congress leaders believe that this stand of BJP will not have much effect in the state, as the issue of Hindutva has not been very effective outside the coastal region.
Promise of action against Bajrang Dal
The view within the Congress is that its promise of action against the Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Vishwa Hindu Parishad, will help it win over sections of Muslims who favor the Janata Dal (Secular) . The JD(S) has a strong presence in the old Mysore region under the leadership of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. The JD(S)’s strong presence in the region has often been a major reason for hung mandates in state elections.
Experts believe that the Congress’s performance will have a big bearing on its stature in any possible opposition alliance as some regional satraps like West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal often talk about its strength to take on the BJP. Expressing doubts.
No ruling party returned to power after 1985
The Congress went full throttle in the Karnataka election campaign, unlike many other state elections in the last few years. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra campaigned extensively in Karnataka and Sonia Gandhi also addressed a public meeting. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, along with two of his senior Karnataka colleagues, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and state chief DK Shivakumar, campaigned aggressively in the state.
In the event of Congress’s victory, it can be confirmed that after repeated defeats by BJP, its strategy of returning to ‘Mandal’ politics proved effective. Apart from this, the stature of Rahul Gandhi will increase and the party will have a resource-rich state like Karnataka.
Experts believe that a BJP victory will especially enhance the aura of the invincible face of Modi, who has also been at the center of this campaign. Retaining Karnataka is also being seen as a challenging question for the BJP because no ruling party has been able to return to power since 1985.
BJP suffered loss in many states in 2019
BJP has expressed confidence in the youth in this election and has given tickets to a large number of such candidates. In this effort, BJP also ignored many of its senior leaders. Some leaders like former Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar even joined the Congress in rebellion. However, the choice of voters will decide whether this gambit has worked or failed for the party.
The defeat in the southern state can also be a setback for the BJP as it has been fighting every election with full gusto. However, it is worth noting that the BJP did not get a majority in the 2018 state assembly elections as well and the Congress and the JD(S) formed the government together.
Even before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP had to face defeat in Karnataka including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. It later returned to power in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh after defections by opposition MLAs.
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