2023 Karnataka Assembly elections | Lokniti-CSDS postpoll study

The BJP was keen to retain its only bastion in the south, while the Congress wished to seize the opportunity provided by an unpopular government in the State.

Voters chat outside a polling station in Bengaluru on May 10, 2023. | Photo Credit: AP

Since 1985, Karnataka has never voted back a ruling party. The same trend has continued in 2023. Defying many predictions of an Assembly without a clear majority, the Congress received a clear mandate, winning 135 seats in the State and increasing its vote share by close to 5% points. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) more or less retained its vote share, but its seats plummeted by one-third. The Janata Dal (Secular) saw a fall of 5% points in its vote share and a slash in its tally by half.

Both the Congress and the BJP invested a lot of time, energy and effort in winning this election. The BJP was keen to retain its only bastion in the south, while the Congress wished to seize the opportunity provided by an unpopular government in the State.