The Karnataka Assembly polls have swept the Congress back to power after five years, giving it a clear majority in the 224-seat House, and inflicting a clear defeat to the ruling BJP, which had claimed all credit for development, and targeted the Congress for following policies of appeasement for electoral gain.

The Congress was headed towards winning 136 seats on its own, while the BJP was reaching a tally of 65 seats, as the Election Commission was close to giving a final picture of the results on Saturday. The Janata Dal (S), the third major party in the State, has won 19 seats.

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There was much speculation about the Assembly poll, as the BJP campaign reached an unprecedented high-pitch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s frequent rallies and road-shows. The results, however, showed there was a wave in favour of the Congress, and the BJP Government was on its way out due to several anti-incumbency factors.

The Congress has secured a 43 per cent vote share, the BJP 35.9 per cent, and the Janata Dal (S) secured 13.30 per cent vote share. Analysts said the Congress vote share had increased at the cost of the JD (S). The results can influence the 2024 general elections, according to observers.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was prompt to accept his party’s defeat, even as trends showed the Congress was maintaining an unassailable lead, while the BJP was trailing behind, with the Janata Dal (S) managing to reach the third position.

Speaking to newspersons, the chief minister said, “We have not been able to make the mark. The Congress is able to make the mark. We will do a detailed analysis. As a national political party, we will analyse and see what the gaps are and improve upon it. We will take this result in our stride, and will re-organise the party for the 2024 elections.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi thanked the Karnataka voters and congratulated them on the poll results. He said on one side, there was crony capitalists’ strength, and on the other the strength of the poor, and this strength of the poor emerged victorious. This is going to happen in all States, he said.

Gandhi said the party stood with the poor in Karnataka. “We fought on the issues of the poor, and we did not use hatred and bad language to fight this battle, and the people of Karnataka proved the language of love was needed to keep the country in good shape.”

In Karnataka, he said, the game of hatred is over and love is flourishing. “We made five promises and we will fulfill them in the first Cabinet meeting of the new State Government,” he said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said it was collective work, Congress leaders Rahul, Priyanka Vadra and Mrs Sonia Gandhi that contributed to the victory, along with the AICC general secretaries. It was collective show, he said.

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, reacting to the trends, said the results were on expected lines, he said. “Our assessment has come true. It is a big victory for the Congress. People of Karnataka wanted change because they were fed up with the BJP. There was strong anti-incumbency against the BJP.”

He further said, “Tomorrow we will try to have a CLP meeting. We will think over it. The meeting is called. All of the winning candidates may not be able to come.”

He said in 2008 or 2018 too, there was no mandate for the BJP. They spent a lot of money on Operation Lotus each time and MLAs defected from the JD (S) etc, and many of them were taught a lesson in this election. “People of Karnataka are mature and they know which party would save the State because there was a threat to the secular fabric of the country from the BJP. There was hate politics and communal politics,” he said.

A contender for the chief minister’s post, Siddaramaiah said the BJP tried to win this election by money, they could not succeed. Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanaka Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge, had campaigned aggressively, while Bharat Jodo padyatra helped and enthused the workers and the cadres.

He said, “This is a crucial election. The result will be a stepping stone for the Lok Sabha election. I hope all non-BJP parties come together and see that the BJP is defeated. I also hope Rahul becomes PM. This is a mandate against Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and J P Nadda. No PM has campaigned like this.”

Siddaramaiah said the Congress got votes from all sections because of its secular credentials, including from the Lingayat and Vokkaligas communities. In the BJP, there was not a single Muslim or Christian who got ticket. Major promises by PM Modi were not fulfilled. He said the party is not afraid of BJP’s Operation Kamal.

Congress leader and another contender for the chief minister’s position, D K Shivakumar, told newspersons, “We were always confident that we would have victory, I am talking of our confidence and not Exit polls.”

He said all Congress workers should remain calm. We will decide the course of action at the party office. It is collective leadership. Thinking together is progress, working together is success.”

Assuring Congress leaders, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge , that “I will deliver Karnataka to their expectations”,  Shivakumar burst to tears and recalled that “Mrs Sonia Gandhi came to meet me in the jail”. He said all office-bearers and General Secretaries had contributed and did hard work.

In the last Assembly polls in the State in 2018, BJP had secured 104 seats, the Congress 80 and the JD (S) 37. The Congress and the Janata Dal (S) formed an alliance and Mr Kumaraswamy of the JD (S) became Chief Minister. His Government fell about 14 months later as MLAs defected, and the BJP assumed power.