Lessons from Karnataka: for the Congress, the BJP and the rest Premium

In Karnataka Assembly elections, the Congress effectively tackled the BJP framework of politics which is a combination of welfarism, caste representation and Hindutva. The outcome has set the tone for national politics in the run-up to the 2024 General Elections.

The outcome in Karnataka has set the tone for national politics in the run-up to the 2024 General Elections when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek a third straight term in power. Congress has defeated the BJP in two States in a span of five months - Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. Later this year, the Congress and the BJP will battle for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The Congress had won all three in 2018, but it lost Madhya Pradesh to the BJP following defections later.

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In Karnataka, the Congress effectively tackled the BJP framework of politics which is a combination of welfarism, caste representation and Hindutva. Welfare promises of the Congress were closer to people’s lives. Between D. K. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, the Congress pushed back against two allegations that the BJP usually raises - that it is hostile to the Hindu faith, and its Anglicised liberalism does not accommodate backward castes while it “appeased” the Muslims. Mr. Shivakumar is a religious Hindu who does not mince words when it comes to speaking up for Muslims; Mr. Siddaramaiah is a champion of caste justice. Added to this combination was the relentless campaigning by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, who is a Dalit from the State. Rahul Gandhi openly spoke about caste justice in Karnataka - a historic first for the Congress party.

The BJP tried to expand its social base among various castes and may have succeeded to some extent, but the Congress still could outsmart it. The Congress did not shy away from questioning exclusions based on both caste and religion, and was rewarded for it. The BJP’s model of caste inclusiveness and religious exclusiveness faced a major setback.

Congress organised its campaign better than the BJP, which is very rare. Two general secretaries of the party, K. C. Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala who is also in charge of the State, kept factionalism in check and messaging on track for an extended period of time and stayed put in the field - another rarity in the party in which absentee overlords abound.

Mr. Venugopal, who is now in charge of the organisation, was in charge of the State during the 2018 Assembly election, and the coordination between the two galvanised the party. Mr. Surjewala’s affable but assertive style resolved several flare-ups between the two doyens in the State Congress through the election season. Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra had stirred up the party in Karnataka, and the momentum was sustained into the election. Mr. Kharge own team of advisers such as RS members from Karnataka Syed Naseer Hussain and Gurdeep Sappal kept close tabs on the campaign at a granular level. In contrast, the BJP was struggling to get its campaign in order, and its messaging was muddled in the face of strong anti-incumbency. 

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