Editorial: No BJP Dakshin Bharat – Telangana Today

An important trend emerging in the latest parliamentary polls is that Karnataka is moving towards bipolarity

Hyderabad: Karnataka’s mandate is a clear and public repudiation of the politics of hate practiced by the BJP. The saffron party has deliberately kept the public pot boiling ahead of elections, focusing on polarizing issues such as the hijab, halal and jihad in the face of growing anti-incumbent and public anger against effective and corrupt governments. The big win in Congress is a huge boost for the grand old party ahead of next year’s general election. An important trend emerging from the latest parliamentary polls is that the southern country is moving towards bipolarity, with the Janata Dal (secular) sidelined in its hitherto stronghold of Old Mysore. With an absolute majority of 136 seats in the 224-member parliament, it will form a government on its own without any support from regional parties. In the past, friction-ridden coalition arrangements with JD (S) were the cause of political instability and the eventual collapse of governments. Although the BJP retained a 36% vote share, it ended up losing more than 40% of its existing 116 parliamentary seats. The fact that it now holds 65 seats — compared to the 104 it won with the same turnout in 2018 — suggests that the high share of the vote comes from only two specific parts of the state — the old Saul and Bengaluru – Differing vote shares from previous ones from statewide elections.

“BJP-Mukt Dakshin Bharat” was the slogan that was circulated in political circles after the Karnataka verdict to counter the saffron rallying cry “Congress-mukt Bharat”. It was Congress’ first major national victory after its leader Rahul Gandhi’s “Bharat Jodo” Yatra, and could warm the hearts of non-BJP participants and pave the way for an event in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan. The campaign narrative is being shaped by the next round of parliamentary elections held in the states, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. It is also expected to give a boost to opposition efforts to form an anti-BJP coalition at the national level. For Karnataka leader Mallikarjuna Kharge, in his octogenarians, the first non-Gandhi family to lead the Congress party in more than two decades, a victory in his hometown would cement his reputation as a decisive policymaker. status, he has begun the process of reversing the party’s declining fortunes. The challenge for the party is to tidy up a divided house in poll-bound states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. For Karnataka’s BJP, the writing on the wall was clear long before the election fever began. Poor governance, corruption and political division have fueled anti-regime sentiment. With the party’s top leader BS Yediyurappa out of the race, the large and influential Lingayat community, the backbone of the BJP’s support base, has apparently shifted to Congress.