The Congress party created history by registering the biggest vote share by any party in the Karnataka assembly polls in the last 34 years.
In the 2023 assembly elections results of which were declared on Saturday, the grand old party won 135 seats and recorded a whopping 42.88 per cent of the vote share. This is seen as the biggest victory for any party in Karnataka since 1989. Activist Yogendra Yadav on Saturday took to Twitter and said that this is going to be the biggest victory for “any party in Karnataka” in 34 years by vote share and seat.
Yadav claimed that it was in 1989 during Veerendra Patil’s regime when the grand old party had won 178 seats with a vote share of 43.76 per cent.
According to figures posted by Yadav on Twitter, the Congress won 132 seats in Karnataka with a vote share of 40.84 per cent in 1999. This was followed by the party’s second win with 122 seats and a vote share of 36.6 per cent in 2013.
Similarly, in 1994, JDS won a total of 115 seats with 33.54 per cent of a vote share. In 2008, BJP won 110 seats with a vote percentage of 36.86.
This was followed by BJP in the 2018 assembly elections, wherein it won 104 seats with a vote percentage of 36.3. BJP had in 2004, got a total of 79 seats with a vote percentage of 28.33.
An incumbent government has not returned to power in Karnataka after a full term of five years since 1985 as no political party could win a successive mandate in the state.
It last happened in 1985, when the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Janata Party was voted into power.
So far, Karnataka had 23 chief ministers since 1952. Basavaraj Bommai served as the 23rd Chief Minister since 2021. In the 2018 assembly polls, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, Congress won 80 seats and JD(S) got 37 seats.
According to the Election Commission of India, Congress won 135 seats. BJP managed to win 66 seats. JD(S) won 19 seats, while four seats were won by others.
Pertinent to mention, the Karnataka election was a major victory for Congress after Kharge became party president.
The Congress victory has come at a time when it is seeking momentum ahead of assembly polls later this year in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana and the Lok Sabha polls next year.
The next task for the Congress is to choose a chief ministerial candidate with both state Congress chief DK Shivakumar and former chief minister Siddaramaiah aspiring for the post.
Earlier today, the Congress party said in its resolution that the decision of selecting the Chief Minister has been left in the hands of All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge.
After the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting, AICC in charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala said that the three observers, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Deepak Babaria and Jitendra Singh will seek opinion from every MLA and then convey it to the high command.
On the other hand, for BJP, the defeat has come as a setback as it ended up losing the only southern state it ruled.
Congress president also took the “BJP mukt South India” jibe at the saffron party after the results.
After the results, outgoing CM Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday tendered his resignation to Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Congress over its victory in assembly polls. He appreciated the hard work of BJP workers and said that the party will serve Karnataka with even more vigour in the times to come.
“Congratulations to the Congress Party for their victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls. My best wishes to them in fulfilling people’s aspirations,” PM Modi said in a tweet.
He added, “I thank all those who have supported us in the Karnataka elections. I appreciate the hard work of BJP Karyakartas. We shall serve Karnataka with even more vigour in the times to come”.
Congress leader and former MP Rahul Gandhi hailed the party’s victory in Karnataka assembly polls and said that the people of the state defeated the “politics of hate”.
Speaking to reporters at the Congress headquarters in the national capital, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress stood with the poor.
“The poor defeated crony capitalists in Karnataka…We fought the elections with love…,” he said.
Karnataka went to the polls on May 10 for the 224-member state assembly and saw a record polling of 72.68 per cent. A party needed 113 seats to get the majority. (ANI)
