The verdict for the Karnataka Assembly Election is here. As speculated, the Congress has won a sweeping majority of votes in the state, while the BJP lagged behind with a severe shortage of votes.
With these elections, the Congress has fought back power from the BJP, forming an independent government without any help. The Congress has won 120 out of the 224 seats, with the JD (S) close behind them. The JD (S) has outdone the BJP this time and may sit in the opposition.
Deve Gowda’s JD(S) won 17 seats and was ahead in 22, whereas Yeddyurappa’s KJP won 1 seat and established leads in 8.
Karnataka has seen five years of shaky rule under the BJP, with three Chief Minister’s in two years. It was the promise of a stable government which ensured victory for the Congress in these elections. The BJP for now is finished. The BJP failed to gain votes even in urban cities like Bangalore. The BJP are calling the victory of Congress as a “fluke victory” and are blaming this on the split in BJP votes.
This was a victory the Congress badly needed, considering the recent corruption scandals the party was in the news for. Celebrations have begun in the Congress headquarters in Delhi and Bangalore, complete with fire crackers, sweets and the quintessential Indian brass band.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has defined the defeat of the BJP as “defeat of an ideology”. Congress President Sonia Gandhi is jubilant on the victory and said they were expecting to win. “It was a joint effort,” she added.
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