Karnataka Assembly Polls Vote Share: JDS' Loss is Congress' Gain

Congress has come out with flying colours in the Karnataka Assembly polls as the grand old party registered its best performance in decades.

It won 135 seats (57+ from 2018) in the 224-member Assembly in the 2023 polls in Karnataka while the ruling BJP is reduced to 66 from 104 seats in 2018, according to the Election Commission data.

The last time that Congress had crossed the 130-seat mark was in 1999 when it had bagged 132 seats by defeating the JDS government. This was when the BJP was a third player in the state political scene.

What's The Vote Share Of Congress, BJP and JDS in 2023?

Going by the ED data, Congress has bagged 42.9 per cent vote share in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections as against 38.61 per cent vote share in 2018. Compared to its 2018 performance, the grand old party has increased its vote share by 4.29 per cent but managed to win 57 seats more this time.

The BJP had secured a 36.43 per cent vote share in 2018 and garnered a 36 per cent vote share in 2023. Yet it lost 38 seats when compared to 2018.

It is interesting to note that the saffron party had won more seats than the grand old party in 2018 despite the lesser number of vote share than Congress.

Coming to the vote share of the JDS, it had bagged 20.61 per cent vote share in 2018, but it has dropped to 13.29 per cent, this time.

In 2018, the JDS had won 37 seats. By losing 7.32 per cent votes in 2023, the JDS has been reduced to 19 seats.

The data clearly indicates that Congress increased its seat share at the cost of the JDS as the BJP's vote share remained intact. It means the saffron party has not lost its popularity despite the humiliating loss.