Karnataka elections 2023: Reasons behind Congress's triumph, BJP's failure to keep power

After a 10-year absence, the Congress returned to power in Karnataka on its own strength on May 13, with victories or leads in 137 of 224 seats.

The party has received an overwhelming mandate from the voters. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has borne the price for "various failures." The regional party, the Janata Dal (Secular), has once again demonstrated that it is not a force to be reckoned with throughout the state.

Karnataka was the BJP's lone southern state. The state upheld its tradition of not re-electing a political party.

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There might be a variety of reasons why an election is won or lost. However, some elements become apparent. For example, the ruling BJP is still a party that needs to spread across the state. The Congress, on the other hand, is thoroughly anchored in each district.

A swing of 2-5 percentage points is enough for the Congress to prevail over the BJP. Unlike the BJP, the Congress state leaders accepted the responsibility of guiding the party to the polls, reported Moneycontrol.

DK Shivakumar, the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee head, and former chief minister Siddaramaiah positioned the party brilliantly in front of the people. There was no let-up in their efforts to portray the ruling BJP as the most corrupt. Efforts began with the PayCM campaign months ago. The Congress didn't simply depend on its own strategy; it also enlisted the help of political organisations to boost its campaign.

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Unlike the BJP, the Congress placed a high value on its senior Karnataka leadership. This has also contributed to the party's good mood today. The vote share of Congress has surpassed 40%, a recent high. Surprisingly, the traditional Vokkaliga belt, primarily Mandya and Hassan, supported the Congress as well. The Congress has also received a lot of support over the years.

The Congress was fully aware that its Anna Bhagya initiative has piqued the public's interest between 2013 and 2018. It not only adopted but also built on this concept, launching six guarantee programmes, the first of which was the Gruha Lakshmi plan, under which every woman head of family in Karnataka would get Rs 2,000 (US$24.33) per month, reported Moneycontrol.

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Under the Gruha Jyoti plan, it has also committed to provide 200 units of free power to every households. While people living below the poverty line (BPL) are now battling to obtain even 4 kg of free rice under the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS), the Congress has promised to provide 10 kg of free rice per person. All of these statements sounded appealing to voters.

The corruption accusations levelled against the Basavaraj Bommai administration harmed the BJP's image. BJP state officials, including ministers, were unable to trumpet their accomplishments or explain to the public how the Narendra Modi-led administration at the Centre has benefited the people of Karnataka. In Karnataka, the charm of BJP leaders such as Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda has not worked. The Bajrangbali campaign similarly failed to sway voters in favour of the BJP. This time, voters drove out a large number of BJP ministers.

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