![]() "The BJP has never got a majority on its own in Karnataka. Yogendra Yadav, political analyst and member of Swaraj India party, says the implications of the election results in Karnataka "are going to be huge". The BJP accused the Congress of being "anti-Hindu", saying the party had hurt the sentiments of the followers of the monkey god Hanuman, also known as Bajrang Bali. The Congress equated Bajrang Dal with the Popular Front of India (PFI), a controversial Muslim group which was outlawed last year. In its manifesto, the party has promised free electricity, 10kg (22lb) of rice per month to the poor, schemes to help women who head a family and free bus travel for women.īJP's party workers look to Modi's campaign with great expectationsīut it was the party's promise to ban Bajrang Dal, a hardline Hindu group with ties to the BJP, that stirred up a storm. The Congress, on the other hand, has criticised the BJP for ignoring important issues and running a corrupt government in the state - a charge denied by the BJP. It has also promised to implement the controversial Uniform Civil Code, a single personal law for all citizens irrespective of religion, sex, gender and sexual orientation. The party manifesto promises to provide free gas cylinders to the poor, subsidised food outlets across the state and free housing for the homeless. The thrust of their campaign was largely populist. ![]() Besides Mr Modi, several national leaders also campaigned in the state in the hopes of swaying the results in their favour. With anti-incumbency at a high, the BJP focused on the achievements of its federal government, and not that of the state. The state saw a rather sedate start in the run-up to the elections, although campaigns routinely became acrimonious with both sides indulging in name-calling. Karnataka goes to the polls on 10 May and the results will be declared on 13 May. "Whether it is a state election or national election, the party believes that Mr Modi alone can get the vote." ![]() "In a sense, it reflects the high level of dependence the BJP has on the prime minister," says Prof Sandeep Shastri, political analyst and pro-vice chancellor at the Jagran Lakeside University in Bhopal. Perhaps, this is where Mr Modi comes in for the BJP, whose ability to pull votes is enormous, experts say. No Congress leader at the national level has been able to pull votes for the party," he adds. "It is the party's national leadership that is weak. Why Modi continues to be India’s biggest vote-getter What a historic poll win says about Modi's India In fact, the Congress has an edge in Karnataka because of its strong local leadership, says psephologist Sanjay Kumar. "But if the BJP wins, the energy it will generate among its workers in the neighbouring states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu will be substantial."Īnalysts say a victory in Karnataka will be a huge boost for the Congress, one that could energise its workers in north Indian states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh which go to the polls later this year. ![]() "If the BJP loses, it will mean that it has not been able to make any headway in southern India," A Narayana, professor of political science at Azim Premji University, tells the BBC. The party then deployed a concerted effort to engineer defections from the Congress and the JDS - the coalition government collapsed a year later as its members resigned to join the BJP soon after it won the 2019 general elections. ![]() In the last election in 2018, the BJP secured 104 seats, falling short of a majority against the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) coalition in the state. His campaign is also significant because it could lift the fortunes of his party in a state that has never returned a ruling party since 1985. So, BJP workers have looked up to Mr Modi's campaign with great expectations. The assembly elections are significant as they come just a year ahead of general elections next summer and analysts say they could be a harbinger of things to come. ![]()
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