Karnataka Elections 2023: Poll guarantees and consolidation of Muslim votes sealed Congress win

Its campaign against corruption, guarantees of dole and consolidation of Muslim votes appear to have sealed the Congress victory in Karnataka that was also pushed along by the anti-incumbency wave against the BJP government.

The strength of the poor has defeated the power of crony capitalists and this will happen in all states, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday, stressing that his party raised people’s issues and ran a positive campaign.

The Congress successfully wresting power in Karnataka after Himachal Pradesh will be a morale booster for the party in reviving its electoral fortunes and strengthening its credentials as the main opposition player against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress’ all-out attack on the BJP government over corruption allegations with the “40 per cent commission Sarkar” barb, coupled with the Adani issue struck a chord with the people, according to party leaders.

The Congress pledged to implement on the very first day after coming to power its poll guarantees like 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya).

Also, Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti) were promised.

“This is the victory of ‘janata janardhan’. All our leaders have worked unitedly and people have voted for our guarantees,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on the party’s performance in his home state.

Another key factor, according to Congress leaders, was the consolidation of the Muslim votes, which accounted for nearly 13 per cent of the electorate and were usually split between the Congress and JD(S), in its favour. The party had promised to restore the four per cent quota for Muslims which has been scrapped by the BJP government.

The Congress manifesto’s promise of banning the Bajrang Dal was picked up by the BJP and PM Modi aggressively to portray the grand old party as being against Lord Hanuman and the sentiments of Hindus.

However, it did not sway the people in Karnataka who voted against “misgovernance” and “rejected attempts at polarization and division”, Congress leaders said. With the win in Karnataka, the Congress has also bounced back after the recent losses in the Northeastern states and it will give the momentum needed to take on the battle-ready election machinery of the BJP later this year in the Hindi heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

The Congress had entered the campaign with the challenge of keeping at bay the factionalism, especially between the camps of its two chief ministerial aspirants — Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar — who were often seen to be engaging in political one-upmanship, but succeeded in putting up a united front and ensured that no rift came out in the open and derailed its prospects.

“I think this election is crucial. This result is the stepping stone for the party in the Lok Sabha election in 2024 …. I also hope that Rahul Gandhi becomes the prime minister of this country,” party stalwart and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said.

The election was also a prestige battle in a way for the grand old party with a Kannadiga Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from Kalaburagi district, at its helm as the national president.

Though the campaign initially centered around its state leaders like Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, Kharge gave it momentum and thereby prepared the pitch for the party’s top leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi to join in.

The siblings extensively travelled across the state, challenging the BJP’s campaign blitz led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, countering him on various issues, and raising the issue of corruption, while promising to provide a better alternative for Karnataka.

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