Congress makes substantial gains in seats covered by Bharat Jodo Yatra

The election results in Karnataka could be the first tangible electoral outcome from the Bharat Jodo Yatra for the Congress, with the party making substantial gains in the seats that the Rahul Gandhi-led walkathon had passed through in September-October 2022.

The yatra had passed through 20 assembly constituencies in seven districts in the state. In 2018, the Congress had won five of these seats, the BJP nine and the JD(S) six. In 2023, the Congress won 15 seats, the JD(S) three and the BJP two.

The yatra had one of the longest stints in Karnataka, and state Congress leaders speak about how it enthused the party workers, gave a unity of purpose to the leaders and gave an early start to the party's campaign in the state. They also say that many of the talking points in the campaign, including the five guarantees that the party has pledged to the electorate in its campaign emanated out of the discussions held with the people during the yatra.

Out of the two seats in Ballari, which was covered by the yatra, the BJP had won one last time. The Congress won both the seats this time round.

In Chamarajnagar, the Congress wrested the seat from the BJP. In Chitradurga, the Congress held on to the seat it had won last time while displacing the BJP from two others.

The Congress wrested two seats from the JD(S) in Mandya, and its ally won against the JD(S) from the third seat in the district.

In Mysuru, the Congress held on to the two seats it had won last time while displacing BJP from one of the two seats it had won in the previous election. JD(S) has held on to Chamundeshwari seat in Mysuru.

The BJP and the Congress had won one seat each in Raichur in 2018, and this time, too, they held on their respective seats. In Tumakuru, the BJP lost two seats to the JD(S), and the Congress has defeated the JD(S) in two others.