Political situation in India

Expert: It has not worked to polarize the voters  

That the BJP is losing power in the key state of Karnataka says little about how next year's parliamentary elections will turn out, according to experts AFP spoke to. It may strengthen the Congress Party, which is now taking over the reins, but the BJP will probably continue to rule at the national level even in 2024.  

However, the state election shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity has reached a limit, according to political commentator Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, who has also written a book on Modi. 

- It shows that the BJP's attempt to polarize the voters in one way or another has not worked, he says. 

At one point during the election campaign, Modi is said to have praised, among other things, a controversial and debated film that exaggerated the number of Hindu women who converted and joined the terrorist group IS. 

BJP loses power in one of India's most important states 

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP party have suffered a stinging defeat and lost power in the state of Karnataka, several media outlets write. All the votes are yet to be counted but the BJP has still admitted defeat.  

Karnataka, which has a population of around 65 million and is an important hangout for the tech sector, is described as a key state ahead of next year's national elections. Modi himself has been part of the BJP's campaigns in the state.  

"We will analyze and correct our mistakes and rebuild the party to come again to the parliamentary elections," writes state leader Basavaraj Bommai.  

The BJP is losing power to the Congress Party led by Rahul Gandhi.