2023 Karnataka Elections: Congress battles to regain foothold in Karnataka

2023 Karnataka Elections: The Congress has been a major force in Karnataka politics even before the state was formed in 1956. Congressman K. Chengalaraya Reddy was the first chief minister of the Mysore state (from which Karnataka was bifurcated).

He remained the head of the state from October 1947 to March 1952.

After the first-ever Assembly election in the state in 1952, he was succeeded by another Congressman, Kengal Hanumanthaiah.

After the state reorganisation in 1956, the state was known as Mysore, and S. Nijlingappa, who would later become the all-India Congress president, was sworn in as the Chief Minister.

BD Jatti, later the Vice President of India, took over the chief ministership from him.

When the state was renamed Karnataka in 1973, Devaraj Devaraj Urs was the Chief Minister.

He still holds the record for being the longest-serving chief minister of the state for more than seven years.

The Congress' reign continued till January 10, 1983, under chief minister, Gundu Rao. 

2023 Karnataka Elections: Tide Turns

January 10, 1983, was a historical day in Karnataka politics, as for the first time, a non-Congress chief minister, Ramakrishna Hegde, became the chief minister.

The Janata Party veteran completed his five-year term, only to be replaced by another Janata Party stalwart, SR Bommai.

After a gap of six years, the Congress again grabbed power with Veerendra Patil becoming the chief minister for his second term on November 30, 1989.

The Congress' reign continued till December 1994 with Sarekoppa Bangarappa and Veerappa Moily becoming the next two CMs. 

A Janata Party veteran, HD Deve Gowda, who would later become the Prime Minister of India, stopped the Congress' winning chariot with a thumping win of 115 seats in a 224-member assembly.

JH Patel from Deve Gowda's party replaced him in a little over a year.

But the Congress staged a superb comeback in 1999 with SM Krishna taking over as CM.

Krishna became the governor of Maharashtra in 2004, and another Congressman, Dharam Singh, was sworn in as the chief minister after the Assembly elections in 2004, when the Congress formed a coalition government with the Janata Dal (Secular).

HD Kumaraswamy of the JD (S) gave a jolt to the Congress after he broke the alliance with the party and extended support to the BJP to become the CM himself.

In the 2008 Assembly Elections, the Congress' seats increased from 65 to 80, but the BJP increased its tally from 79 in 2004 to 110 and came to power for the first time in the state. 

The BJP completed its five-year term with BS Yediyurappa, SD Sadananda Gowda, and Jagadish Shettar becoming chief ministers.

In the 2013 Assembly elections, the Congress banked on BJP leaders' alleged involvement in scams and Yediyurappa's formation of his own party.

The Congress got a clear majority with 122 seats, and Siddaramaiah became the chief minister for a full term of five years.

In the 2018 elections, the Congress got 80 seats compared to the BJP's 104, but the former was lucky enough to get the support of the JD (S) to form a coalition government on a power-sharing basis.

But 15 MLAs from the Congress and the JD (S) left their parties, and the government fell without a Congressman taking over as the chief minister. 

2023 Karnataka Elections: Hopes from 2023 

The Congress is aiming for a comeback in the 2023 Assembly elections.

The party's former president, Rahul Gandhi, made Karnataka a priority destination during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The party's top machinery, including Rahul, president Mallikarjun Khadge, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Siddaramaiah, have campaigned rigorously.

A victory in the elections can give the party a strong foothold in the state ahead of the 2024 Parliamentary elections.