As of 5 p.m. on Saturday, the Congress was on course for a historic victory in Karnataka winning 136 of the state's 224 Assembly constituencies. Finding the stakeholders behind the victory, many have attributed it to Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra to begin with.
The issues of BJP state government's alleged corruption, opposition to BJP's "divisive politics," and party leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra are among the triggers which are being perceived by analysts as the core factors. The yatra travelled through Chamarajanagar, Mysore, Mandya, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Bellary, and Raichur districts, which account for 51 assembly seats.
The Congress won 15 of the 20 seats through which the Bharat Jodo Yatra directly travelled. The 24-day Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, analysts said, provided the much-required push in the state for the state leadership, especially former state CM Siddaramaiah and Congress state chief DK Shivakumar, who jointly strengthened the party's prospects and charged the cadre.
From September 30 to October 23, 2022, then Wayanad MP and now disqualified, Gandhi scion walked 500 km through seven districts in Karnataka with party workers and members of the public attending the rallies at every halt.
However, in response to the Congress's victory, Rahul Gandhi remarked that "the shop of hate has been shut and the store of love has been opened in Karnataka." Addressing the media from his home in Delhi, Gandhi thanked the party cadres who took the message to the last man in the village about the problems the poor are facing and the genesis of these issues.
As per the latest trends in Karnataka Election Results, at 06.00 pm, the Congress party is leading in 136 seats and is all set to make a return to power in Karnataka. The BJP is leading in 64 seats, and JD(S) in 20 others.
