Karnataka Results: The states where the Congress is in power

The Congress has won a thumping victory in Karnataka. The Grand Old Party has won 136 seats in the southern state and held the BJP to just 64 seats. The Congress has credited its leader Rahul Gandhi for his ‘Bharat Jodo’ yatra for the result. Let’s take a look at the other states where the Congress is in power: Chhattisgarh The Congress is in power in Chhattisgarh which is slated to go the polls in November. In 2018, the Congress registered a landslide victory in the Chhattisgarh polls and brought an end to the 15-year rule of the Raman Singh-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. It won 68 seats in the 90-member Assembly, while the BJP got only 15 seats.

The party ultimately picked Bhupesh Baghel as chief minister.

The other candidates in the race were TS Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu. On Wednesday, Baghel said he hoped the BJP ‘will learn a lesson’ on 13 May. “The blessings of lord Bajrangbali in Karnataka will remain with Congress because the deity punishes those indulged in injustice, oppression and corruption,” CM Baghel further remarked. Reacting to the ongoing ED actions, Baghel said, “ED did not carry out the investigation without any predicate offence, but for the first time in the history of India, the agency here is doing it.” [caption id=“attachment_11823201” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel. Image Courtesy: CGDPR[/caption] “They (ED) are working as agents of BJP to please their masters and therefore, they are not following the rules and procedures,” alleged Baghel. “Now, what is the predicate offence in the (alleged) liquor scam of Rs 2,000 crores and without knowing how they are investigating it,” questioned Baghel. He further alleged that they are physically assaulting people and also troubling them the entire night. He said, “The agency’s prime objective is to defame the state government because BJP is unable to fight us directly. The people of the entire state know that there is an election in November and Congress will come to power again, therefore they (BJP) are engaged in how to defame the government.” Baghel also took a dig at the BJP over Modi’s “Congress-Mukt” remark. “They (BJP) talk about ‘Congress-mukt’ Bharat but now south India has become ‘BJP-mukt’. They had anticipated their defeat therefore images of Modi ji were replaced with pictures of Nadda ji on television. BJP leaders had also started talking about Yogi ji and bulldozers. They knew that the magic of Modi ji has now ended,” he added. Rajasthan The Congress’ rule in Rajasthan has been marked by backbiting and infighting between its top two leaders Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot since it came to power in 2018. The Grand Old Party won 100 out of 200 seats against the then BJP chief minister Vasundhara Raje. The Congress would go on to form the government under the leadership of Gehlot who became the fourth leader to hold the chief minister’s post for a third time. The Congress leader became the chief minister for the first time in 1998 and held the post again in 2008.

Gehlot’s elevation to chief ministership would stick in Pilot’s craw for years and the two have continued to tussle ever since.

In February, the Congress announced it would aim for 156 seats in the Rajasthan Assembly polls to be held later this year, as per India Today. This, incidentally, is the same number of seats Congress won in 1998 and came after Pilot boasted how he won 100 seats for the Congress as PCC chief. Gehlot told India Today it is ‘unbecoming’ of any Congress leader to claim sole credit and that he never boasted he had done so in 1998. [caption id=“attachment_11845121” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.[/caption] Gehlot on Saturday tweeted that Karnataka had chosen ‘development’ over communal politics and that the result would be repeated in the upcoming polls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. The huge mandate won by the Congress in Karnataka is an affirmation of Rahul Gandhi’s hard work, Gehlot said, adding this was evident during the Bharat Jodo Yatra. The BJP came to power in the state by toppling the Congress-JD(S) government, he said. “The people of Karnataka taught a befitting lesson to the BJP in this election. The BJP does it (topple governments) in every state. They did it in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra,” he said. It also tried to do so in Rajasthan but “we somehow managed to save our government”, he added. People have now understood that the BJP is pulling down democratically chosen governments, Gehlot said Himachal Pradesh The Congress in December wrested power from the BJP in the hill state which maintained its tradition of not voting any incumbent government to power since 1985.

The Grand Old Party won a massive 40 out of 68 seats, while the BJP won just 25 seats.

However, the Congress got a 43.9 per cent vote share compared to the BJP’s 43 per cent vote share – a fact both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief JP Nadda highlighted after the polls. The Aam Aadmi Party, which also contested the polls, won no seats. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had hailed the people of Himachal Pradesh and his party leaders as the party secured a much-needed win riding on anti-incumbency and a slew of poll promises, including bringing back the old pension scheme and providing jobs to the youth and Rs 1,500 to every woman. The Congress chose as its chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu – a four-time MLA and son of a bus driver. The elevation of Sukhu – considered a rival of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh – was seen as a generational shift for the party in the state. His choice was seen as the Congress giving the top post to an ‘aam aadmi’ and also as the shifting of the party’s power Centre from Upper Himachal to Lower Himachal. [caption id=“attachment_11790261” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu was elevated to chief minister in December. ANI[/caption] Sukhu on Saturday said, “After the Congress’s victory in the elections to the Shimla Municipal Corporation, I visited poll-bound Karnataka. While interacting with locals there, it became clear to me that the Congress will form the next government in Karnataka.” “Our victory in Karnataka has shown that people’s thought processes and choices can change anytime. Our leader Rahul Gandhi gave specific guarantees to the people of Karnataka. The rallies by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi also resonated with the people,” he added. Elections in Himachal Pradesh are due in 2027. Bihar The Congress came to power in Bihar as part of a coalition. In 2020, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was sworn in for his fourth consecutive term at a ceremony attended by top BJP and JD(U) leaders. This, after the National Democratic Alliance comprising the BJP (74 seats) and JDU (43) HAM (four  seats) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) (four seats) won 125 seats in the 243-member state Assembly and beat the anti-incumbency. The Opposition Grand Alliance got just 100 seats with RJD emerging as the single-largest party with 79 seats and the Congress getting just 19 seats. However, Kumar, who is a wily customer, in August 2022 left the NDA alliance and joined the Mahagathbandan to form a new government in Bihar.

Kumar, one might recall, has a habit of switching allegiances.

He previously broke off with the RJD and Congress in 2017. [caption id=“attachment_11112211” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Bihar chief mnister Nitish Kumar lauded the Congress victory.[/caption] Kumar, who has vowed to oust the saffron party from power at the Centre by uniting the Opposition across the country, tweeted, “Heartiest congratulations and good wishes to the Congress upon its victory, with a clear majority, in Karnataka assembly elections.” Jharkhand The Congress is again part of a coalition in Jharkhand. In 2019, the JMM-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance won 47 seats in the 81-member House and swept the BJP aside. The JMM, which emerged as the single-largest party with 30 seats, while the Congress won 16 seats and the RJD won one seat. Its leader Hemant Soren was sworn in as the 11th chief minister of Jharkhand with Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI General Secretary D Raja, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Madhya Pradesh counterpart Kamal Nath in attendance. Soren on Saturday tweeted, “Phut dalo raj karo (divide and rule) politics countdown has begun. Congratulations to the people of Karnataka and Congress party for winning the Karnataka Assembly polls. Best wishes and Johar.” Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu is yet another state where the Congress is part of alliance. The DMK in 2021 under its president MK Stalin won a massive 133 seats in the 234-seat House. The DMK’s Secular Progressive Alliance, including the Congress (18 seats), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (four seats) and the two Left parties (two seats each) won a total 153 seats. Stalin on Saturday said the BJP has been ousted from power in the Dravidian landscape with the Congress party’s victory in Karnataka and like-minded parties should join forces to win the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. [caption id=“attachment_11034941” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin. News18[/caption] Stalin greeted Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, top leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar on the party’s emphatic win in Karnataka.

The Tamil Nadu chief minister spoke to them over phone.

In a social media post, Stalin said: “The land mass of Dravidian family stands clear of BJP. Now let us all work together to win 2024 (LS polls) to restore democracy and constitutional values in India.” Congratulating the Congress party for the spectacular win, he said: “The unjustifiable disqualification of brother Rahul Gandhi as MP, misusing premier investigative agencies against political opponents, imposing Hindi, rampant corruption have all echoed in the minds of Karnataka people while voting and they have upheld the Kannadiga pride by teaching a befitting lesson to BJP’s vindictive politics.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .