Karnataka poll results: BJP third time lucky despite lower percentage of votes

Bengaluru: The wheel of fortune has rolled the BJP’s way for the third time since 2004 during Assembly elections with party emerging as the single largest entity despite securing lower percentage of votes than the Congress.

The party emerged at the top with 104 seats in polls held on May 12, securing 26 seats more than Congress, though it recorded lesser percentage of votes when compared with the party. The poll percentage: 36.2 of BJP against 38 of Congress and 18.3 per cent of JD (D) (37 seats). Political analysts explained that the results indicate that while the BJP swept its strongholds in districts that were part of Mumbai Karnataka and coastal Karnataka, it defeated the Congress in Hyderabad Karanataka fair and square. This is the region where the infamous Reddy brothers and B Sriramulu dominate, and these results will ensure that they have a strong say in the party and government. On the other hand, the votes of Congress were scattered across the state, and the party bore the brunt of geographical polarization in three-cornered contests. The analysts pointed out that Karnataka was the only state in south India where the BJP has won an  Assembly election in the past, in 2008. Winning it for the second time would help the party establish a strong foothold in the southern landscape, and give a shot in the arm as the BJP heads into General Elections in 2019.  

In 2004 and 2008, too, the party won more seats than Congress though its vote share was lower. In 2004 the party won 79 of the 224 seats as against 65 of Congress with poll percentages standing at 28.33 and 35.27 respectively. The party chose to occupy Opposition benches but joined hands with JD (S) in 2006 to run a coalition government for 20 months. In 2008, the party won 110 seats as against 80 of Congress, and formed its first government south of the Vindhyas with the help of five independents. The vote share: 33.86 per cent and 35.13 per cent respectively.