Karnataka sees a three-cornered contest in the May 10 elections with the Congress, BJP and JD(S) facing each other in most segments. Among southern states, Karnataka has shown a greater inclination to go with the “national” unlike others that are dominated by regional players. For the BJP that ruled Karnataka in two phases since the last election in 2018, it has been a bumpy ride to power.
Anti-incumbency seems to be a key factor in Karnataka polls as voters have not given any party a successive mandate. It last happened in 1985, when the Ramakrishna Hegde-led Janata Party came back to power.
Here's what you need to know about this high-stakes election battle:
When is Karnataka going to polls and when are the results?
Karnataka will vote in a single-phase election to be held on May 10. The results will be declared on May 13.
How many Assembly seats are there in Karnataka?
There are a total of 224 seats in Karnataka, the seventh largest legislative assembly by strength.
How many seats does Karnataka account for in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha?
Number of seats in Lok Sabha from Karnataka is 28 while in Rajya Sabha the state accounts for 12
What is Karnataka's population like?
Of Karnataka's population, Lingayats constitute about 17 per cent, Vokkaligas 15 per cent, OBCs 35 per cent, SC/STs 18 per cent, Muslims about 12.92 per cent and Brahmins about three per cent. Lingayats are a politically dominant community and are said to be a dominant force in about 100 seats. In the outgoing assembly, there are 54 Lingayat MLAs across parties including 37 from the ruling BJP. Among the 23 chief ministers from the state since 1952, as many as 10 have been Lingayats.
Who all are contesting?
The three-cornered fight will see the Congress, BJP and JD(S) locking horns in most segments. Apart from these three, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also making efforts to make some inroads, other smaller ones like mining baron Janardhana Reddy's Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP), the Left, BSP, SDPI (the political wing of banned PFI) and Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) will also be contesting from select constituencies.
What happened in last elections?
2018 assembly poll results saw a fractured mandate with BJP emerging as the single largest party. It bagged 104 seats while the Congress and JD (S) won 87 and 30 seats each. Yediyurappa, the then state CM, had to prove majority within a 15-day window given by the governor that was reduced to three days. The CM put in his papers before a trust vote in May 2018 paving way for the Congress-JD(S) coalition to form cabinet under HD Kumaraswamy. This government lasted for just 14 months.
What are the key issue in this year's elections in Karnataka?
The Congress will be riding on corruption as the main theme, focussing on "scams" and 40 per cent commission charge by a contractors' body. The BJP has sought to counter the narrative by highlighting graft in previous Congress regimes both at the Centre and the State. Apart from this, the state's decision to do away with 4 per cent reservation for Muslims under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) quota, and distributing it equally among the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities, while placing Muslims under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, and introduction of internal reservation for different Dalit communities under Scheduled Caste (SC) category are bound to have an effect. Price rise will be another key issue that will dominate voting.
What will be BJP's x-factor?
The BJP is confident about its victory by projecting PM Modi's pro-development agenda, works of the 'double engine government' and its populist schemes, along with the Hindutva card. Besides, it is highlighting its efforts in providing social welfare decisions on reservation hike for SC/STs, Vokkaligas and Lingayats.
What is Congress riding on for a comeback in Karnataka?
Congress has promised 200 units of electricity to all households in the state; a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 for homemakers which will benefit 1.5 crore women; unemployment allowance of Rs 3,000 for graduates and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders for two years; and 10 kg rice for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families through Anna Bhagya scheme.
Why do Karnataka voters oust incumbents?
One-sixth of MLAs of the current assembly have been elected on more than one party ticket in their career. Nearly one-fourth of current BJP MLAs have won election previously from different party tickets versus one-tenth for Congress.
The scale of apathy is visible in very low turnout in urban areas like Bengaluru. Twenty-nine percent of people in the state do not consider themselves as traditional supporters of any political party creating a huge floating voter base.
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