When the Congress returns to power in Karnataka after ten years with an absolute majority, it marks a historically crucial turn in national politics. More than the fact that the BJP went out with a humiliating defeat in Kannada, it is significant as the collapse of the power presence of the saffron in South India itself. This is no small matter. This election and result together give a clear indication and message for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Further, this election has also brought to light the strength and political beauty of the Congress party in spite of its inherent weaknesses remaining. They have shown that its organization and leadership still have the resilience to rise from adversity. Therefore, the confidence this poll outcome gives to the Congress is no mean gain for the party. If this confidence is translated into a national phenomenon, there is no reason to doubt that the Sangh Parivar will be shaken at the Centre as it has now happened in Karnataka. Perhaps because of this, even the secular political movements opposed to the Congress are openly elated at this victory. The entire people of the country, who felt suffocated by Hindutva fascism, can rejoice in the victory of the Congress.
Karnataka is the political laboratory of Hindutva in South India. The heinous acts of the Sangh Parivar, which are continuously happening in Gujarat, UP and Madhya Pradesh with the aid and abetment of the central and state governments, have been reported many times in Karnataka too. In the last few years it has been a bit more sinister. From Hijab-Halal controversy to Muslim reservation, the debates there are a part of it. There was a time when chief minister Bommai and his cohorts had only politics of alienation and minority hunting as their ammunition. The Bommai regime has become a unique Kannada version of the politics of hatred practised by the Modi-Amit Shah duo at the Centre. Stinking tales of corruption and nepotism similar to those heard at the Centre also were heard, which got reflected in the election. For the BJP, every campaign platform was a breeding ground for dissemination of hate. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself led this campaign. It was not developmentalism or political declarations that emerged from the road shows he and Amit Shah conducted. Except that 'Hanuman Bhakti' was used here in place of the 'Rama Rashtriya' of North India, all the rest were mere expression of the hysterical politics of Hindutva. As a part of it, Modi himself became the champion of the propaganda film 'Kerala Story'. On the other hand, the Congress was able to give an appropriate political response to all these campaigns. They mustered the strength to openly say that radical movements like Bajrang Dal would be banned. This demonstrated that they have moved away from the usual path of soft Hindutva with a perception that if they criticize Hindutva, the common Hindus will be alienated from them. When the Sangh Parivar portrayed the hijab as a symbol of terror, the Congress camp politically countered the move by fielding a hijabi woman. It is through such responses that the Congress becomes a hope for the minorities who felt insecure under the Sangh Parivar rule. They also succeeded in bringing out all the corruption stories of the Bommai government before the people.
As Congress leader Siddaramaiah reacted immediately after the election results, it was a victory of democracy over the politics of hatred. The bottom line is that Congress conquered the politics of hatred with people's politics. In that sense, it is a historic victory that highlights the spirit of the great idea of India. Conversely, and naturally the losers are the proponents of the politics of hate. Its leaders Modi and Amit Shah have all been miserably defeated. What they have lost is not just a state; It is also a laboratory they had reserved for the step towards Hindu Rashtra in the near future. To hide this, they are trying to reduce it to it a mere 'state matter'. On the other hand, there is no doubt that this will also be judged as an election in which the Congress realized more of its organizational potential. Despite many political crises, a victory in this is a miracle. D.K. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah led the election campaigns with perfect planning skills. The resonance created by Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' also got reflected in the elections. The figures also show that the party has been largely successful in consolidating secular votes. Therefore, the message conveyed by this poll result is accurate and clear. It is for the Congress leadership first and foremost to grasp that message. If they fulfill that obligation, one can expect more such miracles.