The stage is set for the battle of ballots in Karnataka as people of the state get ready to vote today to elect a new 224-member state assembly. An intense and often bitter campaign that saw political heavyweights criss-cross Karnataka with pledges, salvos and shocks is set to culminate Wednesday in a three-way contest between BJP, Congress and JD(S) whose outcome could be a windsock for the bigger 2024 battle.
Several pre-poll surveys have indicated a clear edge to the Congress over the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections but the saffron party will be pinging its hope on aggressive campaigns and roadshows held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the ruling BJP, riding on the Modi juggernaut, wants to break a 38-year-old jinx – Karnataka has never voted the incumbent party to power since 1985 – the Congress is hoping for a morale booster victory to give it a much-needed elbow room and momentum to position itself as the main opposition player in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.