Karnataka Assembly Elections: With 42.88% Vote Share, Congress Creates History In Past 34 Years

New Delhi: With a 42.88 per cent vote share, the Congress party has created history by registering the biggest vote share by any party in the Karnataka assembly polls in the last 34 years. In the 2023 assembly elections, results of which were declared on Saturday, the grand old party won 135 seats and secured a whopping 42.88 per cent of the vote share. This is seen as the biggest victory for any party in Karnataka since 1989. 

Congress Secured 43.76% Votes In 1989

Activist Yogendra Yadav took to Twitter and said that this is going to be the biggest victory for "any party in Karnataka" in 34 years by vote share and seat. Yadav claimed that it was in 1989 during Veerendra Patil's regime when the grand old party had won 178 seats with a vote share of 43.76 per cent. 

According to figures posted by Yadav on Twitter, the Congress won 132 seats in Karnataka with a vote share of 40.84 per cent in 1999. This was followed by the party's second win with 122 seats and a vote share of 36.6 per cent in 2013.

Similarly, in 1994, JDS won a total of 115 seats with 33.54 per cent of a vote share. In 2008, BJP won 110 seats with a vote percentage of 36.86. This was followed by BJP in the 2018 assembly elections, wherein it won 104 seats with a vote percentage of 36.3. BJP had in 2004, got a total of 79 seats with a vote percentage of 28.33.

An incumbent government has not returned to power in Karnataka after a full term of five years since 1985 as no political party could win a successive mandate in the state.

It last happened in 1985, when the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Janata Party was voted into power. So far, Karnataka had 23 chief ministers since 1952. Basavaraj Bommai served as the 23rd Chief Minister since 2021. In the 2018 assembly polls, BJP emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, Congress won 80 seats and JD(S) got 37 seats.

According to the Election Commission of India, Congress won 135 seats. BJP managed to win 66 seats. JD(S) won 19 seats, while four seats were won by others. Pertinent to mention, the Karnataka election was a major victory for Congress after Kharge became party president.

BJP Mukt South India: Kharge

The Congress victory has come at a time when it is seeking momentum ahead of assembly polls later this year in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Telangana and the Lok Sabha polls next year. On the other hand, for BJP, the defeat has come as a setback as it ended up losing the only southern state it ruled.

Congress president also took the "BJP Mukt South India" jibe at the saffron party after the results. After the results, outgoing CM Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday tendered his resignation to Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot.

PM Modi Congratulates Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Congress over its victory in assembly polls. He appreciated the hard work of BJP workers and said that the party will serve Karnataka with even more vigour in the times to come. "Congratulations to the Congress Party for their victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls. My best wishes to them in fulfilling people's aspirations," PM Modi said in a tweet.

He added, "I thank all those who have supported us in the Karnataka elections. I appreciate the hard work of BJP Karyakartas. We shall serve Karnataka with even more vigour in the times to come". Congress leader and former MP Rahul Gandhi hailed the party's victory in Karnataka assembly polls and said that the people of the state defeated the "politics of hate".

Speaking to reporters at the Congress headquarters in the national capital, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress stood with the poor. "The poor defeated crony capitalists in Karnataka...We fought the elections with love...," he said.

Siddaramaiah To Be New Karnataka  CM  

Highly placed sources confirmed that senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka and party’s state unit president D K Shivakumar will be his deputy, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge is expected to make a formal announcement in this regard on Monday after the party’s impressive victory in the crucial assembly elections held in the southern state.

Karnataka went to the polls on May 10 for the 224-member state assembly and saw a record polling of 72.68 per cent. A party needed 113 seats to get the majority.