Political Scenario of Karnataka

Date of submission -03.03.2020

Submitted By Supervised by

Amogha Shyam Konamme Mr Kamal Narayan

Semester II Assistant Professor

of

Roll no - 27 Political Science

DECLARATION
I, Amogha Shyam Konamme, hereby declare that this project, titled ‘Political Scenario of
Karnataka’ is record of an original work done by me under the guidance of Mr Kamal
Narayan, Faculty Member, HNLU Raipur, and that no part of this project is plagiarised.

Amogha Shyam Konamme

Roll Number 27, Section C
Semester II - BA LLB (HONS)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I, Amogha Shyam Konamme, would like to humbly present this project to Prof. Kamal
Narayan . I would first of all like to express my most sincere gratitude to Prof. Kamal
Narayan for his encouragement and guidance regarding several aspects of this project. I am
thankful for being given the opportunity of doing a project on ‘Political Scenario of
Karnataka.’
I am thankful to the IT lab assistants and the library staffs for facilitating my research by
helping me obtain the required material that was so integral to my completing this project.
I am thankful to my parents for their constant support and loving encouragement.
Last but definitely not the least; I am thankful to my seniors for all their support, tips and
valuable advice whenever needed.

Amogha Shyam Konamme

Roll Number 27, Section C
Semester II - BA LLB (HONS)
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

1. AHINDA- Alpasankhyataru Hindulidavaru Dalitaru

2. BJP- Bharatiya Janata Party
3. INC- Indian National Congress
4. JD(S)- Janata Dal (Secular)
5. MLA- Member of Legislative Assembly
6. RSS- Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
7. UF- United Front
8. EVM- Electronic Voting Machine
9. CM- Chief Minister
10. BSY- B.S. Yeddiyurappa
CONTENTS
Declaration..................................................................................................................................I
Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................II
Acronyms and abbreviations....................................................................................................III
Introduction................................................................................................................................1
Political History of Karnataka (Post Independence)..................................................................2
Major Political Parties in Karnataka..........................................................................................4
The Indian National Congress................................................................................................4
The Janata Dal (Secular)........................................................................................................5
The Bharatiya Janata Party.....................................................................................................6
Political Vote Banks...................................................................................................................7
Fifteenth Assembly Elections 2018...........................................................................................8
Resignation Crisis of 2019.........................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11
INTRODUCTION

Karnataka is a state in the south western region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956,
with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as the State of Mysore,
it was renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state corresponds to the Carnatic region. The
capital and largest city is Bangalore.
Karnataka as it is now, did not exist earlier. After India's independence, the Maharaja,
Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar, allowed his kingdom's accession to India. In 1950, Mysore
became an Indian state of the same name; the former Maharaja served as its Rajpramukh
(head of state) until 1975. Following the long-standing demand of the Ekikarana Movement,
Kodagu- and Kannada-speaking regions from the adjoining states of Madras, Hyderabad and
Bombay were incorporated into the Mysore state, under the States Reorganisation Act of
1956. The thus expanded state was renamed Karnataka, seventeen years later, in 1973. 
Karnataka has a parliamentary system of government with two democratically elected houses,
the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. The Legislative Assembly consists of
224 members who are elected for five-year terms. The Legislative Council is a permanent
body of 75 members with one-third (25 members) retiring every two years.
The government of Karnataka is headed by the Chief Minister who is chosen by the ruling
party members of the Legislative Assembly. The Chief Minister, along with the council of
ministers, executes the legislative agenda and exercises most of the executive powers.
However, the constitutional and formal head of the state is the Governor who is appointed for
a five-year term by the President of India on the advice of the Union government. The people
of Karnataka also elect 28 members to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian
Parliament. The members of the state Legislative Assembly elect 12 members to the Rajya
Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
Politicians from Karnataka have played prominent roles in federal government of India with
some of them having held the high positions of Prime Minister (H D Deve Gowda) and Vice-
President (B D Jatti).

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POLITICAL HISTORY OF KARNATAKA (POST INDEPENDENCE)
To understand the political scene in Karnataka it is necessary to be aware of the political
background in which the state is set. Karnataka, after the Indian independence, has seen a lot
of political activities. It has witnessed the rule of various political parties with carrying
ideologies.

The state of Karnataka as it is today, did not exist right after independence. Various parts of
the present-day state of Karnataka were included in other states. The Mysore state was then
expanded to include all Kannada speaking regions to form Karnataka. This was done through
the States Reorganisation Act (1956) on November 1st, 1956.

The first chief minister of the erstwhile Mysore state was Kyasamballi Changaluraya Reddy
of the Indian National Congress. In the first assembly election in 1952, The Congress formed
the government headed by K Hanumanthaiah. It stayed in power even after it split in 1969.

The first non-Congress government in Karnataka was formed in the Seventh Assembly in
1983 when Janata Party came to power. In the ninth assembly election in 1989 the Congress
came back to power in the state and stayed in power for the next fourteen years even though a
brief period of president’s rule was imposed between 10th October 1990 to 17th October 1990.
Following 1994, Karnataka has seen a lot of political instability. In the Tenth Assembly
election in 1994 Janata Dal came to power with H D Deve Gowda becoming the fourteenth
Chief Minister of the state.

The Congress came back to power after the 1999 Karnataka Assembly election. The Twelfth
Assembly election in 2004 saw for the first time in Karnataka politics, the formation of a
coalition government. None of the parties could get a majority and the BJP emerged as the
single largest party. However, the Congress and the JD(S) formed a coalition and formed the
government. Dharam Singh of the Congress became the 17th Chief Minister of the state. His
tenure as the Chief Minister lasted for one year and two hundred and fifty days after which a
government headed by H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S) whose tenure lasted for one year and
two hundred and fifty-three days. A brief period of president’s rule was followed by the
formation of a government by the BJP for seven days.

The Thirteenth Assembly election saw the BJP coming into power although the period
between 2008 and 2013 saw three different Chief Ministers from the BJP. The Congress

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returned to power in the 2013 election for the Fourteenth Assembly. Siddaramiah, formerly
of JD(S), became the Chief Minister of the state and completed the full five-year term.

In the most recent election in 2018, for the Fifteenth Karnataka Assembly the BJP emerged as
the single largest party. However, it did not win a majority which lead to a hung assembly.
BJP under leadership of B S Yeddyurappa formed the government, on the basis of being the
single largest party of the house, despite the Congress and JD(S) post-result alliance having a
majority. However, the Chief Minister resigned before the trust vote and the Congress JD(S)
alliance formed the government with H D Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister. His tenure
lasted for one year and sixty-one days. The government fell when it the Chief Minister
couldn’t prove majority in the trust vote. The BJP formed the government again with B S
Yeddyurappa as the Chief Minister.

As of the date of submission of this project, the BJP is the ruling party in Karnataka.

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MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES IN KARNATAKA
The political playing field in Karnataka is dominated by three parties; the INC, the BJP, the
JD(s).

THE INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

The Indian National Congress is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in
1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Empire in Asia
and Africa. From the late 19th century, and especially after 1920, under the leadership of
Mahatma Gandhi, Congress became the principal leader of the Indian independence
movement. Congress led India to independence from Great Britain, and powerfully
influenced other anti-colonial nationalist movements in the British Empire.

Congress is a secular party whose social democratic platform is generally considered to be on

the centre-left of Indian politics. Congress' social policy is based upon the Gandhian principle
of Sarvodaya-the lifting up of all sections of society-which involves the improvement of the
lives of economically underprivileged and socially marginalised people. The party primarily
endorses social democracy-seeking to balance individual liberty and social justice, welfare
and secularism. Its constitution states democratic socialism to be its ideal.

After India's independence in 1947, Congress formed the central government of India, and
many regional state governments. Congress became India's dominant political party.

The Indian National Congress established its presence in Karnataka during the struggle for
independence from the British. It has continued to be a dominant political player in
Karnataka politics. It has had fourteen of its party members as the Chief Minister of
Karnataka over the years.

The Indian National Congress has always claimed to work for the ‘backward’ and
‘oppressed’ communities. The term AHINDA, an acronym for the Kannada words:
Alpasankhyataru or minorities, Hindulidavaru or backward classes, and Dalitaru or Dalits
was coined by Karnataka’s first ‘backward’ leader Devaraj Urs of the INC. Siddaramaih, the
Chief Minister of Karnataka between 2013 and 2018, who belongs to the ‘Kuruba’
community which is the largest of the Other Backward Classes in Karnataka, had focused a
lot on the AHINDA during his tenure. The Muslims, Christians and other communities who
are a minority in Karnataka have traditionally voted for the INC. the INC thus, is strong in
regions where the population of AHINDA communities is large.

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THE JANATA DAL (SECULAR)

The Janata Dal (Secular), formed in 1999, had its origins in the Janata Party, founded in 1977
as a coalition of several smaller parties that combined forces to oppose the Indian National
Congress.In 1988 the Janata Party and other smaller parties merged to form the Janata Dal. In
1996, Janata Dal reached its pinnacle when H. D. Deve Gowda became Prime Minister of
India, heading the United Front (UF) coalition government.
he Janata Dal split in 1999, when a faction led by Chief Minister J. H. Patel lent support to
the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance leading to the formation of
Janata Dal (Secular) under H. D. Deve Gowda and Siddaramaiah.
JD(S) in Karnataka state for a time governed in a coalition with the Indian National Congress
(INC) party, the first coalition government in Karnataka. There was much controversy over
the JD(S) allying with the INC in Bangalore as the INC formerly had an outright majority and
was diminished to second place with the BJP having a plurality. However, the JD(S)
considered INC to be the lesser of the two evils on account of its erstwhile secular and centre
left credentials.
Its best performance so far has been in the Twelfth Assembly election in 2004 where it won
59 of the 220 seats it contested for. In the Fifteenth Assembly election in 2018, it won 37 of
the 202 seats it contested for and was the kingmaker. It chose to form a government with the
Congress even though the BJP was the single largest party.
The JD(s) claims to work for farmers and this is indicated even in their election symbol
which is a farmer lady carrying the crop on her head. Most of its election manifestos promise
to waive loans of farmers. Also, traditionally the main vote bank of the JD(S) party has been
the Vokkaliga community to which the party chief H D Deve Gowda and his family belong.
Thus, in the Old Mysore region, especially Hassan, Mandya and Mysuru, where there is a
population of Vokkaligas, its presence is strong. 

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THE BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY

The Bharatiya Janata Party is one of the two major political parties in India, along with the
Indian National Congress.As of 2019, it is the country's largest political party in terms of
representation in the national parliament and state assemblies and is the world's largest party
in terms of primary membership. BJP is a right-wing party, and its policy has historically
reflected Hindu nationalist positions.It has close ideological and organisational links to the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The BJP became a major political player in Karnataka only recently. Karnataka for most of
its post-independence history has been ruled by the Indian National Congress. It first came to
power in Karnataka in 2007 in the Twelfth Assembly joining hands with the JD(s). However,
the tenure of the chief minister from the BJP lasted only seven days after which President’s
rule was imposed on the state. In the Thirteenth Assembly election in 2008, the BJP emerged
as the single largest party with 110 seats out of a total of 224 seats. it fell three seats short of
the majority mark of 113 seats. it formed the government with the support of six independent
MLAs.
The BJP was the single largest party even in the 2018 Assembly election. However, a
coalition between the JD(S) and the Congress prevented it from forming the government
although after the coalition fell, the BJP formed the government.
The BJP enjoys support from various ‘Upper-Caste’ communities like the Lingayats,
Brahmins etc. B S Yeddyurappa one of the main powers in Karnataka BJP is from the
Lingayat community and pulls a lot of Lingayat votes towards the BJP. Thus, in the North
Karnataka region where there is a sizeable population of Lingayats, the BJP enjoys strong
support. Since the BJP is perceived as a ‘Hindu’ party, it enjoys support in regions where
religious or communal tensions are ever-present. Coastal Karnataka and Kodagu which have
seen regular clashes between the Hindus and the Muslims are strongholds of the BJP. The
decision of the Congress government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to celebrate the
birth anniversary of Tipu Sultan as Tipu Jayanthi was met with severe backlash especially in
Kodagu and Coastal Karnataka, regions which bore the brunt of Tipu’s attacks. This
strengthened the BJP’s appeal to Hindus. Also, the BJP, lately has been using Narendra Modi
as their mascot in their election campaigns to great success.

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POLITICAL VOTE BANKS

Karnataka, just as most other Indian states, is caste ridden. It is especially so in rural areas
which are not exposed to the cosmopolitan nature of the big cities. People identify themselves
with their caste. Caste pride is not uncommon even in an urban cosmopolitan city like
Bengaluru. This sense of pride has allowed the political parties to use it to their political gain.
The major caste groups in a large part of Karnataka can be broadly classified into three
categories on the basis of their voting pattern: Vokkaligas, Lingayats, and the AHINDA
community consisting the “backward communities”. Political parties strategically place
candidates from these communities.

The JD(S) portrays itself as a farmers’ party and mainly derives its votes from the Vokkaliga
community dominant especially in the Old Mysore region. The Congress derives its votes
from the AHINDA community, the Muslims and the Christians. The former Chief Minister of
Karnataka, Sri Devaraj Urs, of the Congress party worked extensively for the AHINDA
community creating a strong vote bank for the Congress in the community. The BJP did not
enjoy much of a presence in Karnataka earlier. It has a very strong presence in coastal
Karnataka and Kodagu, a region prone to communal unrest. It mainly depends on nationalist
Hindus. In recent times, Sri B.S.Yeddiyurappa, an influential Lingayat political leader, has
been able to pull Lingayat votes towards the BJP. The BJP is seen as a “Hindu party” by
many and thus the Muslims and the Christians vote for the Congress. On the other hand,
people who despise the “minority appeasement” policies of the Congress and the JD(S),
support the BJP. In recent times, the society is increasingly becoming polarised on religious
lines with ‘seculars’ along with Muslims and Christians on one side and ‘right-wing’ ‘Hindu
nationalists’ on the other. This is especially so in urban areas where national politics has
considerable influence on the voting behaviour of the citizens. Also, with the Congress
government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah being seen as ‘pro-minority and against
upper-caste Hindus, this polarisation has benefited the BJP since Karnataka has 84% Hindus
while Muslims and Christians together makeup for about 14% of the population.1

1
http://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html

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FIFTEENTH ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2018
The 2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election was held on 12 May 2018 in 222
constituencies of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.
The  Indian National Congress (INC) under Siddaramaiah, the incumbent Chief Minister,
sought  re-election, having been the ruling party of the state 2013. The Bharatiya Janta Party
attempted to regain office, having previously governed the state in 2007 and from 2008 to
2013. The Janata Dal (Secular), and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had a pre-poll alliance.
No party achieved majority on its own leading to a hung assembly, and the BJP emerged as
the single largest party, with 104 seats. BJP under leadership of Yeddyurappa formed the
government, on the basis of being the single largest party of the house, even though the
Congress and JD(s) post-poll alliance had a majority with 117 seats. The Karnataka
Governor, Vajubhai Vala, gave the new government a fifteen day period to prove majority in
the legislature, which was met with severe backlash from the opposition. The opposition
alleged that the Governor was favouring the BJP. It feared that the BJP would try to woo
MLAs from them. The elected MLAs were lodged in resorts outside Karnataka to prevent the
BJP from ‘poaching’ them. however, the BJP is said to have tried unsuccessfully to do so.
Petitions were filed in the Supreme Court which then reduced the period to three days.On the
9th of May, Chief Minister Yeddyurappa resigned 10 minutes before the trust vote. The INC-
JD(S) coalition took over and formed the government with H.D.Kumarasamy as Chief
Minister. This coalition government lasted for 19 months before turmoil started again. 16
Legislators from the ruling coalition resigned within a span of 2 days and 2 independent
MLAs switched their support to BJP. This shrunk the house majority to 105 and ruling
coalition to a strength of 101 seats, and opposition BJP to 107 seats. On the 23rd of July
2019, the Cheif Minister, H.D.Kumarasamy lost the trust vote by 100-107 in the house and
resigned. On the 26th of July 2019, B.S.Yeddiyurapa took oath as the Chief Minister of
Karnataka.2

2
https://www.thehindu.com/elections/karnataka-2018/from-results-to-resort-politics-how-karnataka-formed-its-
government/article23960753.ece

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RESIGNATION CRISIS OF 2019
On July 1, two members, Ramesh Jarkiholi, MLA from Gokak constituency and Anand
Singh, MLA from Vijayanagara constituency of the INC, submitted their resignations. Over
the course of the next few days, the number of resignations increased to 13 from Congress
and 3 from the JD(S).
The Congress-JD() coalition tried to persuade the rebel MLA’s to withdraw their
resignations. Many of the MLAs fled to Mumbai, and directed the police not to permit
Congress leaders to meet them. The government also attempted to induce the MLAs to return
by offering cabinet posts; all twenty-one Congress ministers resigned on 8 July to ensure that
a sufficient number of ministerial berths were available. 3 It also requested that the speaker
should disqualify those who had resigned under anti-defection legislation.4
The speaker, K.R. Ramesh Kumar, did not immediately accept the resignations, on the
grounds that he was constitutionally obliged to scrutinise them. The coalition blamed the BJP
for the crisis accusing the party of indulging in ‘horse-trading’ by inducing the rebels to bring
the coalition government down. The coalition finally broke down towards the end of July
when the Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy lost the trust vote and resigned.

3
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/karnataka-political-crisis-bjp-demands-kumaraswamy-s-resignation-
1564352-2019-07-08
4
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/karnataka-crisis-congress-seeks-disqualification-of-rebel-mlas-one-
more-quits/articleshow/70144523.cms

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CONCLUSION
Karnataka has seen its fair share of politics, both negative and positive; stability and
instability; corruption and honesty and transparency; conflicts and peace. It has seen the
evolution of politics from being dominated by the Congress to the emergence of the JD(S)
and entry of the BJP in the state. It has witnessed the changing political game and shifting
trends. It has witnessed conflicts with neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
Maharashtra over river water sharing and territory. It has given to the country the landmark
case of S R Bommai v Union of India related to Centre-State relations and the imposition of
President’s rule. It has seen long periods of instability especially in the recent times, with
very few Chief Ministers being able to complete the whole period of their tenure and also
periods of stability in the period immediately after the Indian independence with the
Congress enjoying power for a long time without much competition. It has seen the rise of
regional/linguistic pride and also expression of solidarity with the rest of the nation during
times of national emergencies. It has seen communalism and religious violence as well as
brotherhood between the very same religions. Karnataka is home to people originally from
different parts of the country who have brought with them their own cultures and has
witnessed friction between the locals and the migrants. However, it has also seen the largely
peaceful cohabitation of the various groups living over here.
The politics of Karnataka just like elsewhere is constantly evolving and to see how it changes
in the future would be interesting.

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REFERENCES
1. https://www.thehindu.com/elections/lok-sabha-2019/karnataka-election-results-live-
updates-highlights/article27210206.ece
2. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/karnataka-political-crisis-bjp-demands-
kumaraswamy-s-resignation-1564352-2019-07-08
3. http://www.elections.in/karnataka/assembly-constituencies/2018-election-results.html
4. http://kla.kar.nic.in/assembly/review/previouscms.htm
5. https://www.bjp.org/
6. http://jds.ind.in/
7. https://www.inc.in/en

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