BackExplained: Why Karnataka Assembly elections are important for Congress
A pre-poll survey conducted by a Kannada media outlet Eedina showed a clear win for the Congress Party defeating the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.
PremiumIt would not be wrong to say that Congress is facing a do-or-die situation in poll-bound Karnataka as the grand old party has been on the back foot after back-to-back debacles in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections along with humiliating defeats in a series of recently-held Assembly elections across the country.
In 2018, Congress performed well in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, however, the government of Madhya Pradesh collapsed within a year due to a rebellion led by Jyotiraditya Scindia. On the other hand, there is a fierce battle between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and young leader Sachin Pilot.
Moreover, the grand old party has lost its last bastion ‘Punjab’ to Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and it could not manage a comeback in northeast states including Tripura, Nagaland, and Meghalaya. The only state it could win was Himachal Pradesh.
Hence, victory in the Karnataka Assembly elections would come as a morale booster for the Congress to fight the upcoming state assembly elections later in the year. It will also set the way for the Lok Sabha polls slated for the next year.
A win in Karnataka polls can also offer Congress a chance to re-establish its position as the main opposition party in the country.
A pre-poll survey conducted by a Kannada media outlet Eedina showed a clear win for the Congress Party defeating the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections.
The survey predicted that Congress will be headed for a comfortable majority with 134-140 seats from the 80 seats in 2018 Assembly elections while the BJP will get over 57-65 seats from the 104 seats in the earlier polls.
This will be a 10 percent vote lead by the Congress over BJP. It is predicted that Congress will get a vote share of 43 percent while the BJP will get 33 percent.
It also showed that Congress would win Hyderabad Karnataka (31-37 seats), Mumbai Karnataka (40-46 seats), Southern Karnataka (26-32 seats) and Bangalore (16-20 seats).
Karnataka Assembly elections will take place on May 10 and the counting of votes will be done on May 13.
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