Congress Wins Karnataka Election: BJP Loses Power
Here is what happened at the most recent election in Karnataka! From party change to getting a re-count of votes, from opponent party accepting their loss to winning party deciding their CM. Here’s ev
Assembly elections were held in Karnataka on 10 May 2023 for 224 seats. The counting was held on 13th May 2023 and the results were declared. In order to form a government, 113 seats are required. The three main parties that have contested the elections are BJP (which is in power), Janata Dal (Secular), and Congress. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also fielded its candidates. Also there were some smaller parties in the fray in a few constituencies. The Congress party has attained a majority by bagging 135 seats.
The BJP lost its reign as it ended up with 65 seats leading to the current Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to step down from the position. Karnataka was BJP’s only bastion in southern India. The Election Commission ordered recounting of postal ballots in Jayanagar constituency where Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy is in close contest with BJP's C K Ramamurthy. The recounting of postal ballots was ordered following an appeal by Ramamurthy and in a late night declaration, Ramamurthy won with a margin a mere 16 votes. Now BJP has 66 seats. MeanwhileJanta Dal (S) won 19 and other parties won 4 seats.
Celebrations broke out at Congress headquarters in Bengaluru and Delhi. The question remains whether Congress will pick Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar as next CM. A meeting was planned in Delhi on 15th May 2023 with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi. Both D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah are also expected in Delhi to meet the party's leadership.
Congress leader and All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, informed that Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge will not take long and announce the name of the next Chief Minister of Karnataka soon. However, close sources said that senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah will be the next Chief Minister of Karnataka and D K Shivakumar will be the Deputy CM. Sources have said that the new Karnataka Chief Minister and the cabinet will take oath on 18th May 2023.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gave his first public reaction after his party crossed the majority mark in the Karnataka assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi thanked party workers and leaders for their efforts and congratulated them on the Congress's remarkable performance. He stated that the Congress fought the Karnataka poll battle with love, inclusiveness, and positivity, and succeeded in shutting down the BJP's "nafrat ki bazaar." BJP leader Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat and said, “ We’ve not been able to make the mark. Once the results come we will do a detailed analysis. As a national party, we will not only analyze but also see what deficiencies and gaps were left at various levels. We take this result in our stride.
