Karnataka Election 2023: Will BJP fight off anti-incumbency using the Modi charm?
Karnataka Election 2023: Retaining power in Karnataka — the only party-ruled State in south India — will be key to the BJP to keep up the momentum of its winning streak and get head start to polls in Hindi heartland.
FollowThe battle-ready Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with its well-oiled election machine ran its campaign with a blitzkrieg by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Assembly elections in Karnataka that votes on Wednesday. It was obvious that the "double-engine Sarkar" intended to strongly capitalise on Modi's appeal in order to support its campaign, secure its future, and combat "anti-incumbency".
In order for the BJP to maintain its winning run and gain an advantage in the next elections in the Hindi-speaking states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, it will be critical for it to maintain power in Karnataka, the only party-ruled State in southern India.
A belligerent Congress had pushed to make corruption a prominent feature of the political narrative months before the elections.
In 2018, the BJP was the largest party but fell short of a majority, therefore the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Congress joined forces to form the government, with JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy becoming Chief Minister.
However, it established the government in July 2019 with the aid of 17 resigned Congress and JD(S) MLAs who joined the BJP. According to the BJP, the Prime Minister spoke at 19 public gatherings and six road shows, the most recent of which was on May 6.
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The BJP sent all of its senior leaders from the Centre, including Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh) and Chief Ministers of numerous BJP-ruled States, including Amit Shah, J. P. Nadda, Rajnath, and Nirmala Sitharaman, to campaign.
The party ran 75 fresh faces, pledged to adopt the Uniform Civil Code and the National Register of Citizens, and aimed to promote the advantages of a "double-engine government" throughout the election campaign. After the Congress pledged to outlaw Bajrang Dal if it won the election, the BJP used "Hanuman" as a campaign talking point.
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(With PTI inputs)
