With a significant change in the political landscape of Karnataka in 2024, the ruling Congress now seems to be battle-ready, determined to put up a strong show in the Lok Sabha polls, despite many challenges on the ground.
What distinguished this general election is the largely bipolar nature of the contest between the Congress and the BJP, with the JD(S) having allied with the latter. The stakes are high for the party to sustain the support it gained in the 2023 Assembly polls. The election results would be largely seen as a referendum on the Congress government.
In 2019, the Congress had tied with the JD(S) and lost miserably owing to differences among leaders. Both parties managed to win one seat each. The Congress secured 32.11% votes in 2019 against the BJP’s 51.75% votes. However, the voting pattern reversed in the 2023 Assembly elections wherein the Congress bagged 42.88% and the BJP secured 36%.
