Over the last few days, there have been some very fine analyses of the Karnataka Assembly vote of 2023. We are told how different regions voted; how the AHINDA platform (Muslims, the backwards and Dalits) has re-emerged; how caste groups such as the Lingayats and Vokkalingas have consolidated; how anti-incumbency is a proud Karnataka State tradition; how the charge of 40% corruption sarkara stuck; how regional pride was stirred by the Nandini versus Amul milk controversy; how the BJP’s communal card had limited success; how farmer’s distress found a voice; how people vote differently in State and national elections; how the power of local Congress leaders and their welfarist manifesto resonated better with the voters than the double engine slogan of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supremo, and how the Bharat Jodo Yatra had a significant effect. These are all important insights. They help us to understand the distinctiveness of the Assembly elections in one Indian State — Karnataka.
A wider story
But, they tell only half the story. The commentaries are too State specific. They under-read the result as if it is only a Karnataka story. There is, however, another story that can also be drawn from the anecdotes recounted, the quantitative data of opinion surveys, the Election Commission of India percentages, field reports and the editorial commentaries.
