Karnataka Election 2023: Why these Lingayat and Vokkaliga-dominated seats are crucial

The Karnataka election results 2023 are set to be declared on Saturday. It is likely to be a triangular contest between the Congress, BJP, and Janata Dal (Secular). While the BJP government led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is trying hard to retain the only southern state it rules, rivals Congress and JDS would be posing a tough challenge.

Despite having emerged as the largest party in the 2018 assembly election, the BJP couldn’t cross the majority mark. The Congress and JDS formed the government under Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, but just a year later the BJP managed to snag several defectors from the ruling alliance as well as bolster its numbers through by-polls to cross the majority mark and form their government.

A key part of electoral victory in the state is caste-based politics. The state has diverse caste groups. However, the most prominent are the Lingayats and the Vokkaligas, generally split across northern and southern parts of the state. Other large groups include the Kurubas, Muslims, Dalits and OBC. A controversial caste census had revealed that Dalits, Muslims and OBCs formed a larger part of the state’s population than the dominant Lingayat and Vokkaligas.