Congress’s emphatic victory — a rarity these days — in Karnataka is mirrored by the acute state level anti-incumbency that felled BJP. But it’s important to read the verdict carefully. Here are a few pointers.
Congress shouldn’t assume this victory as an early indicator for 2024, either in the state or nationally. Since 1985, Karnataka has voted differently when it comes to state and national elections, and many states now vote in a “split ticket”. Remember Odisha in 2019: voting on the same day, people picked BJD in the state while BJP scored in Lok Sabha polls.