Elections aren’t a spectator sport, they are lifelines to our democracy. It is our duty as a news organisation to help you make an informed decision through factual reports, ground investigations and hard interviews. Join us in this mission.
The stunning mandate given to the Congress party by the citizens of Karnataka has taken everyone by surprise. Congress leaders in the last fortnight, most notably Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief DK Shivakumar, insisted that they would win around 140 seats, but this was generally treated as a typical boast of the party during hustings.
Several things went right for the Congress. Their repeated focus on development and corruption worked well in their favour. At a time when contractors were complaining about having to pay a 40% commission to people in the government including ministers and legislators, the Congress launched a relentless campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – whether it was protests, posters, or clever ads. It was the same with development. Instead of reacting to what BJP was doing, Congress decided to focus on development and elaborated on how the issue of rising prices, poor infrastructure and shrinking incomes was not being addressed by the BJP sufficiently.
It also helped the Congress that none of the ministers in the BJP government were able to effectively counter the allegations of corruption. On the contrary, KS Eshwarappa’s resignation as minister after the death of contractor Santhosh Patil cast a huge shadow on the BJP administration. Even at the peak of campaigning, the ‘double engine’ motto left many questioning if the concept of cooperative federalism was being set aside by the BJP.
At a time when COVID-19 deaths destroyed homes, took away jobs and left many families in a state of economic uncertainty, the BJP’s arrogant dismissal of ‘revadi’ culture or freebies strengthened its image as an anti-poor party.
On the other hand, the Congress’s promises in the form of the five guarantees like free 200 units of electricity, free food grains, free bus passes for women, Rs 2,000 for women head of households etc., seems to have met with approval from the voters. In its manifesto, Congress also made several promises like a blanket increase of Rs 5,000 in the wages of Anganwadi workers and other benefits, which is said to have appealed to the union sector. The Congress effectively succeeded in portraying the BJP as an anti-poor party.
At the ground level, the Bharat Jodo Yatra helmed by Rahul Gandhi succeeded in galvanising grassroots and booth-level workers. The almost month-long yatra through the state drew people from all walks of life and was received positively. Rahul’s approach with the party workers was also well received and thousands walked with him across the state.
A lot of advantages for Congress also came from BJP’s stand on many issues. The imposition of Hindi, and the decision to adopt the National Education Policy did not go well with many in the state.
In the last two years, the BJP found itself at the wrong end of many controversies, specifically the whipping up of anti-Muslim sentiments with the demand to ban hijabs in educational institutions, the protest against halal meat and the economic boycott of Muslims. While the Congress opposed the BJP on every one of the issues, their protests were not divisive in nature. The Congress had reportedly decided not to go hard at BJP on Hindutva issues as they felt it would not reap them dividends. BJP’s final act of removing the 4% reservation for Muslims from the OBC category drew swift condemnation and Congress was quick to say they would repeal the harmful laws that BJP had implemented.
As the Union ministers from Delhi started making a steady beeline towards the poll-bound state, Union Minister Amit Shah made a statement about Karnataka’s pride Nandini brand being merged with Amul. This started another controversy and the BJP were accused of undermining Kannada pride in their attempt to toe the line of BJP leadership in Delhi allowing the Congress to capitalise on it. While there were some hiccups for the Congress during the selection of candidates, both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar also presented a united front, not allowing the BJP to exploit their differences.