Karnataka elections 2023 FAQs: Dates, party status, key issues and more | Karnataka Election News – Times of India
From campaigning and road shows to political showdowns and candidate selections, the election season is heating up with each passing day.
Here are some FAQs to capture a gist of what’s happening in poll-bound Karnataka …
When are the polls to be scheduled?
The Election Commission announced that single-phase polls will be held in Karnataka on May 10. The results will be declared on May 13.
How many seats are there in Karnataka?
There are a total of 224 seats in Karnataka. It is the seventh largest legislative assembly by strength.
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What is the status of parties in the current elections?
BJP, Congress and JD(S) are the three main players in Karnataka in 2023. While BJP is the ruling party in the state, the Congress too has significant presence in the assembly.
The Congress has so far announced the candidates for 166 out of total 224 seats in its first two lists. The party has to now finalise the list for the remaining 58 seats.
The Janata Dal Secular had announced its list of 93 candidates in December last year. Its second list is awaited.
The BJP is yet to release its first list of candidates. The party is holding a meeting in the national capital to deliberate on its candidates.
What was the result last time?
In the 2018 assembly polls, the state threw up a fractured mandate with BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 seats. The Congress won 87 seats while the JD(S) won 30.
The BJP, under the leadership of BS Yediyurappa, formed the government since it was the single largest party in the House, despite the Congress and JD(S) post-result alliance having a majority.
The governor then gave a 15-day window for the new government to prove its majority in the legislature. The Supreme Court, however, limited the window to three days and CM Yediyurappa eventually resigned minutes before a trust vote in May 2018.
The Congress-JD(S) coalition then formed the cabinet with HD Kumaraswamy as CM.
However, this coalition government lasted for just 14 months before turmoil started again in early 2019. A total of 16 legislators from the ruling coalition resigned within a span of two days and 2 independent MLAs switched their support to the BJP. This shrunk the house majority to 105 and ruling coalition to 101, and the opposition BJP to 107.
What are the key issues?
Anti-incumbency
BJP faces anti-incumbency in a state where no party has won consecutive terms in over 20 years. It’s trying to woo voters with outreach programmes. PM Modi, who had swung around the last LS poll in the state, has toured Karnataka extensively. Congress is banking on BJP’s “incumbency burden” and is confident that the corruption charges against its opponent will stick.
Reservation rejig
Hoping to improve its prospects, the BJP government has increased quotas for SCs and STs by 2 and 4 percentage points, respectively, and for the two politically powerful and dominant castes – Lingayats and Vokkaligas – by 2 percentage points each. It is also in the process of implementing the Scheduled Castes’ long-pending demand for apportioning the quota among the Dalit castes. But Congress says the changes have come too late to sway voters.
Social engineering
With Mallikarjuna Kharge, Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar at its helm, Congress is hoping to get the support of three major communities: the scheduled castes, Kurubas,and Vokkaligas. It also believes Muslims, who make up 11-12% of Karnataka’s population, are with it. BJP, while keeping its pro-Lingayat base united, is trying hard to win over the Vokkaligas, who vote JD(S) and Congress. It has also tried to extend Hindu consolidation beyond coastal Karnataka. But former PM HD Deve Gowda’s JD-S is confident the Vokkaligas will rally behind it, giving it over 30 seats and helping him play the kingmaker yet again.
Congress’ guarantees
Taking a cue from its success in Himachal Pradesh, Congress has promised a monthly dole to farmers, unemployed graduates and families headed by women, and also free electricity and grains to voters. BJP calls this fiscal imprudence.
Development work
PM Modi and Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai have been on an inauguration spree in the past three months. The PM has visited Karnataka at least eight times since January to inaugurate about 50 development projects. New projects amounting to Rs 1 lakh crore – including the Rs 8,500-crore Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway – have been inaugurated or dedicated to the people in various districts. Even half-done projects have been launched.
Freebies
Enticing voters with freebies isn’t new, but it’s happening at a different level in Karnataka this time. Television sets, smartphones, grinders, and even insurance policies are on offer as parties go all out to curry favour with voters.
