Karnataka elections: How Congress won, what it means for BJP & 2024 Lok Sabha polls

The Congress is on its way to victory in the Karnataka state elections, results for which are being declared on Saturday.While an official result is awaited from the Election Commission of India, 113 is the mark to form a government in the 224-seat Karnataka Assembly, which the Congress has comfortably crossed. In fact, at the time of production of this podcast, Congress leader Siddaramaiah has declared that the party is likely to get 130 seats.Hours before, outgoing chief minister and BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai announced at a presser that he would step down by Saturday evening. Earlier in the day, Bommai had conceded defeat and admitted that the performance was not up to the mark.The election had witnessed a high-octane battle between the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S).A spate of local issues and Karnataka’s own tradition of throwing out the incumbent government every five years put paid to all BJP hopes.A victory in Karnataka would have underlined BJP’s electoral dominance across the country and ensured it maintained a presence in southern India, where it is trying to expand its footprint aggressively. Instead, Saturday’s results are a shot in the arm for the Congress, which is seeking a much-needed revival ahead of key electoral contests lined up later this year and the ultimate Lok Sabha battle in 2024.Meanwhile, the JD(S) is fighting to maintain its relevance in Karnataka since it is losing its support base to both the Congress and the BJP. The change of guard in this southern state would like to be seen by Congress, and other Opposition parties, as a sign of things to come. This year has already seen the BJP lose states – Himachal Pradesh earlier and now Karnataka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party retained the government in Tripura and Nagaland.With elections scheduled for four more states this year – in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram, it’s going to be interesting to see how the political winds blow.Audio production: