Karnataka Election 2023
Karnataka will go to poll in a single phase on May 10, 2023. The results of this crucial state election will be declared on May 13, a statement by the Election Commission said. Karnataka Assembly has 224 seats. The term of the present Karnataka Assembly concludes on May 24. So, will the Basavaraj Bommai-led BJP government beat the anti-incumbency wave and get a second term or will the Congress make a roaring comeback? Only time will tell.
The ruling BJP took a calculative risk when it denied tickets to some veteran leaders. Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar decided to quit the party as soon as the BJP leadership announced the candidate list for the Assembly Elections. The prominent leaders of the Lingayat community have accused BL Santosh, the national general secretary of BJP, for sidelining the old leadership. However, BS Yeddiyurappa, the tallest Lingayat politician in Karnataka, is still backing the BJP and is campaigning in full form but the defections of Shettar and Savadi will also come into play.
On the other hand, Congress is confident of the Vokkaliga votebank thanks to its leader DK Shivakumar. Amid all this, JDS is playing a quiet game with its cards close to its chest. The party feels that just like 2018, it can be the kingmaker.
The poll campaigning has seen high-octane speeches by leaders of all parties. The shrill tone of the campaign was also noticed by the Election Commission. The poll panel said that ‘plummeting level’ of poll speeches was alarming and advised all parties to maintain decorum. Words such as ‘nalayak’, ‘vishkanya’ and ‘poisonous snake’ have been used by leaders of BJP and Congress against their political opponents.
When one talks about key issues, reservation is one of the main talking points. Incumbent BJP revoked the reservation for Muslims and moved them to the EWS category earlier this year. It also extended quotes for both Vokkaligas as well as Lingayats. However, the Congress says that it will restore quotas for the Muslim community and increase the reservation from 50 per cent to 75 per cent.
Another key factor is the brewing milk war. The BJP has announced that it will provide half litre of ‘Nandini’ brand milk free of cost to the beneficiaries. However, the detractors say that this is just a way by the BJP to take away the spotlight from the not-so-quiet entry of Amul in Karnataka. Both JDS and Congress say that Amul’s entry is an attack on the Kannadiga identity. It should be noted that the majority of the milk producers are based out of Old Mysuru, a well-known Vokkaliga bastion.
Other aspects of the poll promises include stipend for those without jobs, free electricity supply among other things. The BJP has promised to create an EV city outside the state capital along with special task force to fight fanaticism
What happened in 2018
The Karnataka state elections were held in 2018 and resulted in a hung assembly, with no single party able to secure a majority of seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the largest party, winning 104 seats out of 222, while the Congress won 78 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) won 37 seats.
The BJP, however, fell short of the majority mark of 112 seats required to form a government on its own. In a surprise move, the Congress and JD(S) formed a post-poll alliance and approached the Governor to form a coalition government. The Governor invited the BJP, which had emerged as the largest party, to form the government first, but they failed to prove their majority on the floor of the assembly.
Following this, the Congress-JD(S) alliance was invited to form the government, and HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) was sworn in as the Chief Minister. The coalition government faced several challenges during its tenure, including internal rifts and pressure from the BJP to topple the government. Eventually, the government fell in 2019 when several MLAs resigned from the Congress and JD(S) and joined the BJP, leading to the collapse of the coalition.Read More
The ruling BJP took a calculative risk when it denied tickets to some veteran leaders. Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar decided to quit the party as soon as the BJP leadership announced the candidate list for the Assembly Elections. The prominent leaders of the Lingayat community have accused BL Santosh, the national general secretary of BJP, for sidelining the old leadership. However, BS Yeddiyurappa, the tallest Lingayat politician in Karnataka, is still backing the BJP and is campaigning in full form but the defections of Shettar and Savadi will also come into play.
On the other hand, Congress is confident of the Vokkaliga votebank thanks to its leader DK Shivakumar. Amid all this, JDS is playing a quiet game with its cards close to its chest. The party feels that just like 2018, it can be the kingmaker.
The poll campaigning has seen high-octane speeches by leaders of all parties. The shrill tone of the campaign was also noticed by the Election Commission. The poll panel said that ‘plummeting level’ of poll speeches was alarming and advised all parties to maintain decorum. Words such as ‘nalayak’, ‘vishkanya’ and ‘poisonous snake’ have been used by leaders of BJP and Congress against their political opponents.
When one talks about key issues, reservation is one of the main talking points. Incumbent BJP revoked the reservation for Muslims and moved them to the EWS category earlier this year. It also extended quotes for both Vokkaligas as well as Lingayats. However, the Congress says that it will restore quotas for the Muslim community and increase the reservation from 50 per cent to 75 per cent.
Another key factor is the brewing milk war. The BJP has announced that it will provide half litre of ‘Nandini’ brand milk free of cost to the beneficiaries. However, the detractors say that this is just a way by the BJP to take away the spotlight from the not-so-quiet entry of Amul in Karnataka. Both JDS and Congress say that Amul’s entry is an attack on the Kannadiga identity. It should be noted that the majority of the milk producers are based out of Old Mysuru, a well-known Vokkaliga bastion.
Other aspects of the poll promises include stipend for those without jobs, free electricity supply among other things. The BJP has promised to create an EV city outside the state capital along with special task force to fight fanaticism
What happened in 2018
The Karnataka state elections were held in 2018 and resulted in a hung assembly, with no single party able to secure a majority of seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the largest party, winning 104 seats out of 222, while the Congress won 78 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) won 37 seats.
The BJP, however, fell short of the majority mark of 112 seats required to form a government on its own. In a surprise move, the Congress and JD(S) formed a post-poll alliance and approached the Governor to form a coalition government. The Governor invited the BJP, which had emerged as the largest party, to form the government first, but they failed to prove their majority on the floor of the assembly.
Following this, the Congress-JD(S) alliance was invited to form the government, and HD Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) was sworn in as the Chief Minister. The coalition government faced several challenges during its tenure, including internal rifts and pressure from the BJP to topple the government. Eventually, the government fell in 2019 when several MLAs resigned from the Congress and JD(S) and joined the BJP, leading to the collapse of the coalition.Read More
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