With the results of the keenly contested Lok Sabha elections coming out on Tuesday, nearly a month after the two-phase polling in Karnataka, the political tussle between the Congress on the one side and the BJP-JD(S) combine on the other is expected to further escalate.
Though the Lok Sabha election results will not have any bearing on the State government, the Congress-ruled Karnataka has attracted the country’s attention following aggressive campaigns by Congress leaders backed by their five “guarantee” schemes. This had turned the Lok Sabha polls into a prestige battle for the Congress which came to power with a landslide victory last year.
Also read: Karnataka Election results LIVE 2024
Exit polls
Various exit polls have indicated a single-digit tally for the ruling Congress much against its ambition of winning a majority of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in the State. But party leaders have still expressed confidence of putting up a good show and insist that these polls are not accurate.
The recent poll history in Karnataka shows that the BJP has been able to do well in the Lok Sabha polls even if it is not in power in the State. The party won 17 seats, leaving nine and two seats to the Congress and JD (S), respectively, in 2014 when Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister of the Congress government.
The saffron party had put up an impressive performance in the previous Lok Sabha polls by winning 25 seats as against the tally of one seat each by the Congress and JD (S) even though the JD (S) and Congress had aligned then to form the government.
However, the Congress saw the Lok Sabha polls 2024 as an opportunity to flex its muscles as the BJP had been routed in the 2023 Assembly polls.
Political observers feel that if the predictions of the exit polls come true, then it will serve as a platform for the BJP, which has joined hands with the JD (S), to bounce back. In fact, the Lok Sabha election results will also indicate whether the political alignment between the parties has yielded the desired results.
The results also come at a time when Karnataka is witnessing a tussle between the ruling and the Opposition over various issues, including the Prajwal Revanna sexual abuse case, financial irregularities in Valmiki ST Development Corporation and several incidents that have assumed communal colour. Also, the polls to local bodies are not far away.
Also, it remains to be seen how the Congress will perform in the eight Lok Sabha seats where the Vokkaliga candidates have been fielded, as any major failure here may be used by the detractors of the Congress’ Vokkaliga face and Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar to halt his political assent.
The BJP too is not devoid of problems despite positive predictions of the exit polls, as any defeat of party bigwigs would show poorly on the organisation. The JD (S), which has contested in three seats, is hoping to protect its political turf in the present context where its morale is low.
