Same party in Karnataka and Centre: BJP changes long standing trend

The BJP reversed a long standing trend today. It is after a very long time that the governments in Karnataka and the Centre are the same. During the previous elections in 2013, when the state voted for the Congress, the BJP came to power at the Centre a year later.

Karnataka has always had a government that is different from the one that is ruling the Centre. This is a trend that began in 1972 and stuck since then. In 1972 the Congress came to power in Karnataka, but not in the rest of the country.

Later when the Janata government came to power in the Centre, the Congress was voted into power in Karnataka. The trend continued when Rajiv Gandhi formed the government at the Centre. That year it was a government led by Ramakrishna Hegde which was in power in Karnataka.

Similarly, when S K Krishna led the Congress government in Karnataka, it was the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led NDA government which was ruling the Centre. In the 2004 elections, the BJP was the single largest party in Karnataka. It went on to form the government two years later with the support of the JD(S). That year, it was the UPA which was in power.

The trend continued into 2008 as well when the BJP formed the government in Karnataka. A year later, the UPA was elected to power again. In 2013, the state of Karnataka voted for the Congress which formed the government under Siddaramaiah. In the 2014 elections it was the BJP led by Narendra Modi which came to power.