The three major parties namely the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) are all vying for power in the state elections scheduled for Wednesday 10 May 2023 in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. Opinion polls are showing the possibility of a clear victory for the Congress.
The counting of votes will take place on May 13 while the results are expected on the same night.
The total number of voters in Karnataka is 52 million, of which around 900,000 are youth who will be voting for the first time.
The total number of seats in the state is 224, for which 2,613 candidates are fighting. BJP has fielded candidates to contest on all 224 seats, while Congress has given tickets to 223 and JDS to 207 candidates. Apart from this, 209 candidates of Aam Aadmi Party and 133 candidates of Bahujan Samaj Party are also in the fray.
The importance of these state elections can be estimated from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has actively participated in the election campaign. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi on behalf of Congress has been campaigning to attract voters.
Bharatiya Janata Party: A mixed record
The BJP is hoping to retain its government, which it formed after a hung assembly in 2018. The BJP has been in power in Karnataka for the past six years, and has had a mixed record. On the one hand, the state has seen significant economic growth during this period. The BJP government has also taken steps to improve infrastructure and education.
On the other hand, the BJP has been criticized for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its alleged involvement in corruption scandals.
Hope to return to Congress
Congress is hoping to make a comeback in Karnataka. The party has been out of power for six years, and it wants to capitalize on the BJP’s perceived failures. The Congress is also hoping to tap into the anti-government elements, as many voters are unhappy with the BJP’s performance.
Janata Dal Secular
Janata Dal Secular has a good position in Karnataka as compared to other states. Currently it is in alliance with the Congress, but it is hoping to improve its performance in today’s elections. The JDS is hoping to tap into the support of the Lingayat community, which has a large vote bank in Karnataka.
Kante is expected to contest the upcoming state elections in Karnataka. All three major parties are vying for power, and it is hard to say who will win. The results of the elections will have a significant impact on the future of the state.
These elections are very important as Karnataka is one of the largest and most powerful states in India. It is the only southern state where the BJP is ruling. These elections will show where the BJP stands in next year’s national elections.
A student named Maskan kept replying with slogans of ‘Allahu Akbar’ (Screen Grab/Social Media).
Maskan Khan of Karnataka
The BJP’s policies in Karnataka have faced criticism at the national and international levels. An example of this came last year in the form of a viral video.
In this video, Maskan Khan, a 19-year-old student from Karnataka, enters a college wearing a hijab, and a crowd starts chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ after seeing her, and Maskan stands in front of her saying ‘Allahu Akbar’. go
After this incident, ‘Maskan’ became a top trend on social media in Pakistan, while when the video went viral, many personalities including Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai accused women of trying to deprive them of their right to education based on their dress and harassment. Raised a voice against.
In Karnataka, on February 5, 2022, Muslim female students were banned from wearing hijab in educational institutions, against which Muslim students and their parents staged protests.
In opposition to these protests, Hindu students also started protests due to which the educational institutions were closed.
The decision was challenged in the state high court, but the court upheld the hijab ban, saying, “We are of the view that wearing the hijab by Muslim women is not part of a necessary religious practice.”
Muslim organizations said that the government’s ban on the hijab of Muslim girls was part of the BJP’s Hindutva agenda.
A matter of life and death for Congress
Indian media have written that the Congress is facing a ‘do or die’ situation in Karnataka as the Congress continues to be on the back foot after previous defeats in the 2014 and 2019 national elections.
It also faced a humiliating defeat in the recently held assembly elections across the country.
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In the northeastern states including Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya, the Congress was wiped out and the BJP swept the field there. Himachal Pradesh was the only state where the Congress won.
In the 2018 elections, Congress performed well in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. However, the government of Madhya Pradesh fell within a year due to Jyotraditya Scindia’s rebellion.
Moreover, the Congress has lost its last bastion, Punjab, to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Therefore, a victory in the Karnataka assembly elections is very important to boost the morale of the Congress.
The Congress has an opportunity to win Karnataka to prove that it still has a place in Indian politics and is in a position to take on the BJP in next year’s national elections.
Survey results
Some indications suggest that Congress is likely to win in Karnataka.
According to a survey conducted by a Karnataka media house ‘Edina’, the Congress will win the elections with a clear margin. The survey shows the Congress winning 134-140 seats in the 224-seat House, while the BJP’s share is only 57-65.
In the 2018 elections, the Congress won 80 seats while the BJP won 104.
Worryingly for the BJP government, no ruling party has won a majority in Karnataka elections for the past four decades.
BJP cannot afford defeat
Indian analyst Professor Yogendra Yadav has written that ‘it is vital for the BJP to retain control of Karnataka to make its presence felt in the south. The BJP cannot afford to lose any major state election till 2024, especially in a state it rules.’
He writes that ‘this time the victory in the elections is not easy for the BJP as dozens of its key leaders have defected and joined the main contender for power, the Congress. BJP has an idea of its position and status Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the state seven times before the announcement of elections.
In Karnataka, though the BJP has won power several times, it has never been able to secure a clear majority. Now he needs to win with a clear majority. For this he has also launched ‘Operation Karnataka’.
If seen, Karnataka is a gateway for BJP in South India. It is an opportunity to remove the label of being a party imported from North India.’