Hello and welcome if you are just joining and logging in to catch up on the news. The big story. Today, the Congress is set to return to power in Katica after a tightly contested assembly election. Well, the results still yet finally to come in. So perhaps, in the end, not so tightly contested after all. After hours of counting votes, the Congress's seat tally stands at 137 with the BJP at 64 the JDS at 20. The chief minister, Boma, has conceded defeat, with his party leading in only about 60 plus seats this out of the 244 member assembly. The chief minister, Basra Boma, has conceded defeat, saying that despite the best efforts by the prime minister by Carlos, we were not up to the mark. Now the Katica assembly comprises of 224 seats, with 113 seats needed to form a majority. The Congress currently leads in 135 seats, so that's well above the halfway mark of 113 currently, with about currently with about 64 seats, the BJP's number falls well short of its 218 performance when it won in 104 seats. But let's just listen in. We have Mr Casey goal! We have speaking. Let's listen in. We stood for poor people of Karnataka. They stood for rich people. Finally, poor people won this election. This is the clear narrative of this election. No, actually, this is This is one of the milestone of the 224 election is doing a PC. All right, so the big question right now is who is going to be the Chief minister after registering that thumping victory in the Karnataka elections? The Congress, we are told, are going to hold a key meeting of the party President Malik Cardinal's residence. Remember, the party is yet to announce its chief ministerial pick for the state. We have Sun Ra. You saw him right there with all of those key Congress leaders Sunil who are all going to be present at that meeting? First and foremost, can you confirm that meeting is going to take place this evening? Because initially we were reporting it was expected to be tomorrow. It was expected to be tomorrow, but that the official part will be there, but informally the entire exercise of ascertaining who has the support of the M that will be decided today itself. So they have begun their exercise. People are already on the job and we should expect the decision of who will be the chief minister of Kaka, depending on who has the maximum number of support and looking at various other factors, including how the Congress will be able to, you know, ensure that in the next general election that is in the looks of elections, they will be able to deliver results there a key factor in deciding the Chief Minister. There are two contenders, as you rightly pointed out, One is Mr Sara and the other is Mr Dike, Shim Kumar. It all boils down to the number of supporters that they have and how you can build a consensus. Mr Dikes Kumar is not giving up and is quite keen on becoming the chief minister this time after he has fought as he says and brought the party after there was a full resignation of Mr Dinesh Kuro and helping the Congress party through its strength time. So it's in that context that we have a clear contest between the two chief ministerial expert that is Mr as well as Mr D. And that meeting of E will start today and then finally, hopefully a decision tomorrow or not. So, Sunil, as we all you know, do this post mortem exercise about what exactly worked for the Congress. What failed for the BJP, the main takeaway or one of the main takeaways behind the impressive performance by the Congress is credit to this unusually united front we saw from the party, the two sto that you've pointed out. The Karnataka Congress's D. K. Kumara and Mr Z Ramaa have been known for long to be at loggerheads, but for this election, at least they put their differences aside and they worked together. That's right. They work together, try to ensure that whenever there was a possibility of each other not working together, the AC C would intervene and ensure that, you know, they had this united face of going to temples of having, you know, chatting with the Congress workers as well as, of course, as you know, doing various movies. And, you know, a campaign to show that they're both united but that having been said, both have been very frank in true an TV and otherwise also that they are aspirants for the chief of force. Both have been in contest for that force. Both feel that they deserve it, and ultimately it's a number of M. This is, after all, a democracy. This is a democratic process, unlike how we feel in various other parties when it is left. Finally, how that plays out. But in the Congress, every M. L. A. Is key in terms of deciding who he supports. And then, of course, the Congress High Command takes various permutations and combinations and speaks to all the leaders before arriving at a consensus candidate who will be, you know, decided at the C LP meeting. All right, thanks, Anil. We'll let you get back to those crucial meetings taking place today and perhaps a big announcement tomorrow morning if not this evening. But in the Congress's victory celebrations in Karnataka, perhaps the only downer right now is that looming. Sara Maya versus D Kumar Tassel for the chief minister's job. Mrs Maya Dike Sekar They are the Congress's top leaders in Karnataka. One is a former chief minister. The other is a state Congress chief, and neither has been coy about the chief ministerial ambitions. Just this afternoon, as the results came in, Mr Seve Kumar broke down as he spoke about delivering on a promise to the Gandhi. He also said he had not slept for three years, ever since he made that promise. So a message there, certainly in that in that statement made to the press. But let's listen in to Mr Kumar. He also just spoke just a short while ago. Let's listen in to his reaction to those results. Big results for the Congress today and money there. People have exposed faith in us. The leaders have supported us. It is a collective leadership and we are jointly working, I have said in the beginning. Joining together is the beginning. On the day I took the work, thinking together is the progress. Working together is a success. That is what I said on the day I I will deliver to their f. I can't forget coming to meet me jail when all these people put me in jail. So I rather choose to be in jail than having an office that is the confidence what Gandhi family, the Congress Party in the entire country and the congressman, Raul Gandhi congratulated the people of the state as his party looks all set to form the government, and he attributed this win to the victory of love. He said the market of hate has been shut and shops of love have opened. And he said this to cheering Congress workers earlier today. Congress Party. No, I have my So you returning officer. All right, so that was Mr D. K Silman, who's been the Congress's troubleshooter for years and basically attributing this victory and to the carers of the party who have worked for months and months on this big victory. So let's first of all, go across to our guests in our studio right now. Pike Nambia joins US political analyst who supports the BJP Matthew Anthony, spokesperson of the Congress, also a lawyer, Mr Desam here, advocate with the Supreme Court of India, KRA political researcher. Thanks for your time. Also in the Delhi studio Boss, author and columnist and sandal Shastri, independent researcher. As first I know you speak Canada, I can quickly just give you ask you to give us a summary of what Mr Shear was saying over there. He's been the Congress's troubleshooter in this election, and he's been giving a lot of reactions to the press. What was he just saying? Basically, he was dedicating the victory to the car. The party workers, uh, and also to the, you know, broadly to the people of that was what from the brief, uh, clipping that I could hear. That was the gist of his speech that he was at, you know, the rally that he was addressing, all right, dedicating this victory to the Kata. But of course, that's what we're here to do, to dissect and figure out what they got right, what they got wrong and whether this can be repeated for the Congress, whether it can be repeated in the general elections and whether the you know the ground is the same or if you know the experiment is the same. How how are things different in assembly? Elections versus general elections? But Matthew Anthony, first spokesperson of the Congress Congratulations. A big afternoon for you. Take us through. Obviously, how you're feeling? Overjoyed, but is there a worry that all of this could be marred by the Congress not being able to easily come up with a chief minister so they can truly well and truly enjoy this victory. Thank you, Sarah, for the congratulations. You know, the party definitely deserves it because it was an epic united work which the workers, the state leadership and the central leadership unitedly put together in the state of Karnataka and the people of Karnataka wholeheartedly supported this as a vote against the prime minister. A vote against hate towards love, a vote against you know, the unpopular decisions, the 40% Saara and all other all other issues of the Karnataka government where we committed as a party. We touched the emotional code between the people's problems in the state rather than K rosing on the national issues. We touched the people's issues in the state and that really work for us. And the way in which the people have voted for us definitely shows more than 43% vote share is a is a historical achievement which we had before in 1989 and after that, this is a significant achievement which we have seen in the state of Karnataka and we reassure you that we stay humble, we stay hungry and we are very clear in our efforts that this is a warmer for 2024. We will work even more hard to make 2024 a success for the people of India to kind of, you know, have this regimen changed. But Matthew But Matthew, can I just ask you, isn't it? You know, historically, the state has known to vote in governments. Alternatively, right, there's an anti incumbency factor. So how much of this is truly the Congress's victory, or is it just That's the way the state votes. See, Zara, you have been merciless to us. You know, when we when we lose states. So when we win, you know, you can be a little bit more considerate in that aspect of it. Uh, that, uh, it's not anti incumbency, Definitely playing at the same time, they found hope in the Congress Party to have voted this unanimously else. This would have been a very close contest. If you know going by the way in which you are saying if it was only anti incumbency, this would have been a very close. This is not This is not anti incumbency alone. This is anti incumbency, along with the people's definite mandate for a united front, for a change against hatred against polarisation. Against a lot of new promotion by the prime minister, the prime minister solely campaigned for a week. This is a reflection to the prime minister's campaign. People of Karnataka has rejected the prime minister. That's what it is. Matthew Anthony. I do not need to soft pedal with you at all. You, you you know all the answers and you're saying it perfectly. So I don't need to do anything for you. Let me go across to Mr Nigam. Matthew Anthony points out there that Yes, of course. This is a state that tends to vote alternate governments in. And you know, there's this huge anti incumbency factor that's at play. But he says, if that was truly at play here, it would it would have been a narrow victory. The Congress has clearly swept. The BJP has gotten less seat so far than it did the last time around by at least by half. If I'm not wrong, Sarah, in fact, first of all, congratulations to Congress for the thumping victory. I mean There is no two ways about looking at it now. Secondly, if it had been anti incumbency, the vote share of the B JP should have gone down. It is 36%. Almost. I think 36.2 was the last time they had. It is 36% right now, So there is no anti incumbency, and B JP has been able to retain that vote share. And one of the most important factor, which I believe the Congress everybody seems to be overlooking is Mr Sunil Kag, who was B JP person last year and then joined the Congress and became the chief election strategist for the Congress. And that is where probably he knew many things of B JP, which probably he took over to the strategies that he took over to the other side. And certainly, you know, there are J. DS seems to have almost given up, and the almost the entire vote share of the J DS, which they have lost, has gone to the Congress and the minorities. You know, the minorities used to vote for J. DS seems to have gravitated towards the Congress. So these are the things I think which has given and certainly the perception battle which was there about corruption. Despite the fact not a single complaint by anybody has been filed against any against any appropriate authority by any congressman. But that perception was built out there. And that perception probably also. But that is not cut into B JP s votes. That is one thing. You know, B JP s vote is intact and that is where JP with the same kind of, you know, vote share. They had a higher results in the Karnak in the loss of our elections also. And we have seen Rajasthan also, and Mother Pradesh and even, you know, other places also where the states went a different way. But the in the los of other BJ those so this may not relate to the by elections. Everybody is saying this is a build up to Luba. But loba elections, I believe, are on a different parameter. Yes, Prime Minister, during the last leg, you know, put everything in it. And maybe because of that, the BJP's vote share is intact. So the locals by elections are a whole different ball game. But Mrs M. N basically saying that the Congress's victory has come at the cost of the J DS. And not at the not at the B JP. Right. So do you agree? Sorry. I knew I would do this. Sorry. Do you agree? Uh, I I I would be to defer on that because the trends to show that in Bombay, Karnataka or Hyderabad Katica the Congress has significantly eaten into the B JP s. Uh, you know, if you compare if you do a simple comparative analysis of 2018 and 2023 there is a clear show. They are clear. Uh, it's clearly visible that a lot of seats have shifted from the what was b JP last time to now Congress. So Congress's victory has not only come at the expense of the J DS, but also expense of the J DS and the B JP. OK, I'll bring the numbers down for you is saying I he made four points. Unfortunately, I agree with just one, which is that this is a very different election of next year. That's absolutely right. I agree with him. 23 other points that he made one is that the B JP is holding on to its vote share. The top line number will suggest that, yes, but the B JP has lost as much as on average 5% point vote share in seats that it won last time. So what has happened is that B JP has lost seats in its strong areas, but it has picked up votes in its strong areas. But it has picked up votes in areas like old Mysore, which is J DS country, where it picks up votes but not enough to convert into seats. So what the narrow contest in all of these seats? It's not. What I'm saying is that J DS essentially lost. But J DS s loss was picked up by both the Congress and the B JP P. Now that B. JP s gain was offset by what the B JP lost to the Congress. The difference was the areas in which the B JP lost to the Congress in vote share what the areas where it used to convert those votes into seats. But the areas in which it has picked up votes from the J DS it has not been able to convert that into seats because the starting base is very low. So although this 36% looks as as a copy of 2018, actually it's not. It's it's it's a lot more sort of within the 36% which is that you lost some to Congress, but you made it up from the J DS. Now, the J. DS s loss has been both the Congress and the B JP s gain. So, in effect, Congress has gained from both parties. J. DS has lost to both parties. B JP has gained from one loss to one stone. So therefore the b JP ros net net zero No change. J DS is the biggest sufferer, and the Congress is the biggest. Gonna look at the different Sara 43% to 35. That's an 8% point gap. That's the sort of gap we are used to in North India between the B JP and the congressman. Mr. Modi is on the ticket. It's a huge gap. The other point that was made was, um Mr if that logic were to apply, then Mr Han should also work with the Congress and U p you know. But that didn't work out. So it's not just the strategic right. It has to be something about the organisation, the local leadership, the party, the narrative. I think after a long time it seemed that the Congress also had the resources to run a good campaign. It had a credible local leadership after him, I would say, and then I think they did not dabble in too many nonsensical issues, and they were very focused. The last one week probably was an aberration. So I do think that these numbers on the top line look sort of simple, but there's a lot more within the area. So just as an example as to what? Uh the my colleague was saying. In areas like Karnataka and central Karnataka, which are P G citadels belts, the Congress has flipped those regions Congress has gained or is Congress is leading in four out of the six regions in Katica, in Hyderabad, Katica. It's a virtual suite where 50% population is a CST, plus Muslim Congress has gained amongst the disadvantaged groups. Its welfare seems to have worked, plus the credibility of the local leadership. So the promises were made. Those promises have also made other states, but why they work this time is because they have a credible local leadership that they can associate with. So I think it's it's a good day for the Congress, lots to learn from it. I just hope they don't lose their humility after this victory because it's a huge victory. It's a huge mandate in favour of the Congress. Absolutely, Sarah, because yeah, if I could add a little bit, uh, in the sense that it's a very comprehensive victory. And you can't be simplistic about statistics because, as you very correctly pointed out, that the B JP vote share, which looks the same, is not the same, really, because different voters have contributed to make it the same. Also, there are many factors which have played into the BJP's defeat. One, of course, is Mr Ya's departure from active politics. He is no longer the fact remains that Mr Yapa made a big, big difference to the BJP in he was the They have not been able to replace him with anybody of even, you know, I mean even middle status, whereas the Congress has some very credible local leaders, and the third thing is that the J DS clearly David Gowda is now gone, and his sons have not been able to make much of it. So the JDS is, and both the BJP and the Congress have gained but the Congress in the future in the run up now for the next several elections, the Congress is better placed to get that vocal if they hold on to the humility. But let's see, how will all of this play out for the next few elections, especially the 2024 elections? Let's just quickly we have to go in for a short break. We'll go in for that and come back with more semi comprises of 224 seats, with 113 seats needed to form a majority, and the Congress is leading in 135. That's way above the halfway mark of 113. The BJP has already conceded defeat with 64 seats. The BJP's number falls well short of its 2018 performance when it won 104 seats. And with this loss, the BJP really is losing control of its lone southern state, the only southern state that was under its rule But the attention right now is at the Congress headquarters, where, after registering a thumping victory in the Karnataka elections, the Congress ought to hold a key meeting at the party president Malika Karges residence. Because the party now has the task of announcing a chief minister, their chief ministerial pick for the state and they are expected. They were expected to announce this at the meeting in Bangalore. Perhaps tomorrow there's a meeting. The wheels are already in motion and the Malik nah, of course, to be there. Sing Sergei Valais goal. They are among the leaders who will be present at the CLP meet. The day started off with the Congress declaring in a tweet that it has won in Karnataka, and the party then issued instructions to the winning Congress candidates to come to Bangalore immediately. Initial reports were that the party would announce its chief ministerial face at this meeting in Banga Bengaluru around noon tomorrow. But the wheels really seem to be moving faster. The meeting seems to be seems to have been pushed forward. It's going to take place this evening. Both Mr Sura, Maya, Mr Shiva Kumara, the powerful leaders with a strong support base, and perhaps that was the reason why the Congress did not name a presumptive chief minister. But you can only put it off for so long, and that time has now come for the Congress to make that big announcement. So the big impressive performance that we've seen by the Congress that this time around one of the reasons for it is the fact that they put up an unusually united front for the party. The two stalwarts of the Karnataka Kumar, Mr Suraya, they have for long been known to be at loggerheads. But unlike what we've seen in Rajasthan in Karnataka, the Congress is able to have their main leaders keep their issues at bay and come together and coordinate a well crafted joint joint appearances and show they really put up a clear united front. But now the question is, who will be chief minister? But let's listen in to Mr Shikar speaking with N. D. T. V's Sunil Pra earlier in the day. Perhaps there are some hints in that interview How how do you view this victory, Mr Shika? What's your reaction to this? Say it is not my victory alone. It is the victory of the people of Karnataka. People wanted a change. People want their development people People wanted to remove corruption. They know that the double engine did not work out well. So we need a government with the governor. Man in the village has been pick pocketed by the price rise. So that is a We all work together. I should thank my leader Shi So Gandhi who appointed me at the crisis when Mr Dinesh Gun resigned on grounds So they impose confidence on me from that day till today. I have not slept May be my problem Internal problem Whatever the problem created, we we all work together. All my leaders cooperated and include my national leaders. Whatever I said, they agreed to me Ultimately we should make this number from the front three years. Three years I have not slept. I did not make My workers are so sleep. There are a lot of things. I will come and tell you I'm going to ram. But would you like to be remote? I say I am going to Ram. I'm going to Ram Nagra because my leaders workers are not allowing to give certificate to my election agent. I didn't want it to go there. But you know what has happened in the entire? They are rooted out The not only so I don't want to comment much on things. We will discuss it later. I will come back to you. We will discuss. You want to be reported. That's my question. That's my I will discuss. Don't worry, Don't worry. Assured that I will deliver and you want to. How do you respond to let anyone tell anything? I don't want to comment on any one personal choice The Congress Party high government will take right. The Congress Party High Command will take a decision. But as of now, in the run up to this election was widely being seen as a litmus test for both the parties ahead of the 2024 local poll. So let's bring in P n. You've been waiting for a while, so let me start by asking you, Is this a reflection or how does this play out in 2024? Is it unlikely to be reflected in 2024? Well, congratulations to Congress. I think you should be openly and without any conditions. You should be congratulating them. I think you have been a little, uh, you have not congratulated well enough to Matthew. I think today they deserve it. Now coming to the real 2024 is a different ball game altogether because the reason being that we have seen in the past that all assembly elections are fought in a different method and in the national elections are being fought in a different way. Narendra Modi is still continue to be the most popular leader in the country, and there is no one to match his persona when it comes to 2024. There is no doubt about it, but I think it's a defining moment for Congress. And also for a defining moment for B. JP from the point of view of losing, Karnataka is not in the interest of the B JP. So there are 34 takeaways from my point of view one. The Congress, the corruption charges. They have been able to maintain that for a year continuously. That worked very well for the Congress, and there may be as you was talking about, that there may have been truth or not, but there was a perception which they have been able to create that the current government of bomb government was a corrupt government. Number two is that that the Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family has campaigned this election so low. So that also gives a feeling that whether it is in, in, in or in, what do you call himachal and etcetera. Wherever Rahul Gandhi is campaigning less, that means it's going in favour of the Congress. The third one is that the minority appeasement plan, which they have been able to really able to use it very, very, very, very well because we know that in the coastal Kaga or in the Karnataka et cetera, there is a consolidation of Muslim vote against the B JP and maybe from taking away from the also. It's going in as a block to the Congress that also has helped the Congress to come in. This such a big victory. I think the bottom line in this election is that, yes, they are. Karnataka finally got a very, very stable government, which is in the interest of Kaga, rather than just always. We know that in Canada there is always a horse trading or the people moving here and there. I think this time this will be contained. I think congratulations to Congress, but a long thing to do. Uh, for the p JP to be very, very careful unless and until you have very, very strong regional leader, you cannot just write on only on the popularity of Narendra Modi. Of course, he can be a very, very, very, very big complimenting factor. But along with that, you also need like a yogi or a or some of those very, very tall regional leaders in Kaga. After I would say that Europe this time I mean they have not been able to create a national straight strong leader of like I said or they have not been able to create within the BJP. That has also been a setback for the BJP. But having said that, BJP has been able to retain its vote share. That means that as a as a party, it is as strong as it was. It is, and maybe the 2024 be the same as what it was in the, uh in 2019. The election is needs to be now. This election is also going to be a defining moment from the point of view of, uh, development should be the focus for the times to come, and this will also have an impact. And I I have no comments accepting the fact that in Rajasthan and Mother Pradesh and also in chat, if not in 2024 they will have some kind of an impact. It's renewed Congress, and it will also have much more money to come in because Canada is a very, very progressive and a large state. And Sukumar and Sara May will be able to fund the Congress now because now they have 23 states rather than just depending upon a show. And now they have 32 more states to fund the election because money without money, you cannot a political party, and I think Congress is It's all right. It's a new oxygen, All right, Matthew Anthony. Yes, please do come in over here a bit premature to connect this to 2024. The Congress's success here has been because of their focus on local issues, because they avoided getting entangled in this whole Hindu rhetoric and they had local leaders. But Matthew Anthony. Those advantages get nullified when it's a general election, and the BJP certainly is going to try and play this like it's a presidential election. Zara, I will counter, uh, for a few things you know, which he has mentioned, Uh and then I'll come to your point. One is he said, you know, that, uh, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi didn't campaign in Karnataka. Uh, I disagree with uh, and the and the general Secretary Simo Priyanka Gandhi, as well as former Congress President Simo Sonia Gandhi didn't campaign much in Karnataka. I refused that statement and for records, 21 consequences through which travelled and all 21 constituencies B JP are not even there in the list. So it proves by itself. I don't have to say much on it right now. The second is you know that how dare someone can speak about minority appeasement are minorities. Non Indians are minorities, foreigners. We are very well Indians, as along with others who has been given and provided by the Constitution to be sensed, considered and treated as equals when the majority community is very high and the sense of secularity and, uh, equality should be practised. You know, the lower numbers should be given some priority. So how can you even speak about minority appeasement? This has become a practise of B JP and B JP followers to insult minorities by saying minority appeasement. We are no less to anyone, for that matter. Let us be very clear on that fact. Let us not be very foolish to ourselves and you know, kind of falling into that one. Hindu Hindu religion has never has never rejected any other religions. The Hindu to which we are fighting against is the fastest Hindu tour which is practised by B JP and its followers. So let us be clear on that fact now, coming to your 2024 thing, you can't run a 48 kilometres marathon, you know, by starting by day by two days back we have started our 2024 count by putting up a united friend in Canada. Not disagreeing to the fact that there are differing opinions, there are different leaders. There are different groups. But you know, we put a united friend as a party for the people of kaa, fought with the concerns of the people of Canada fought for them by putting their issues first. And our competition is ourselves to keep us united. Keep us humble, keep us, you know, hungry to win the elections. One after the other Rajasthan mash and then the central elections. That is how we are looking at it. We are not going to sit on the laurels of this election. We are going to reflect on areas where the didn't perform, where we will honour the promises that we made to the people of Karnataka. At the same time, we keep ourselves humble. We keep ourselves, you know, very hungry, very aggressive, to serve the people of India, to come back for a change in the central government. Because we understand and we sense the people's mind to have a change in the government because of the oppressive. You said presidential, I said So that's how we know we are seeing the whole matter. All right. So the congress to retractors who say you can't connect this to 2024? They are hailing the Bharara's role in their success in these polls. We're going to go in for a short break. We'll come back to all of you all of our panellists here on the other side. Welcome back. BJP leaders were hoping to break a 38 year jinx of Karnataka, not voting an incumbent to power. But that was not to be. And Congress workers and leaders desperately looking to reverse its electoral fortunes and position itself as the main opposition player in 2024 are jubilant. But Mr Rib, you believe that this would be premature to connect the dots here because you think assembly election, a state election and a national general election are completely different ball games. But the Congress is hailing their victory to the success of the Barra Jodo Yara. It spent 22 days in the state and they are going to say that formula is going to play out in 2024. Because when you pitch the PM's narrative versus the narrative of the Yara, they are saying the Yara has come out on top. Well, I think you will be required to do a lot more microanalysis before we reach that conclusion and did take place. There is no doubt about it, and but the strategies of the Congress were far better in this election, and they had some state level regional leaders very strong. Whereas there was a vacuum in the BJP after the, you know, tenure ended and then there was a vacuum and Mr Bombai had just about two years. And that's not a very big time. Because since you really take, if you're a first time chief minister, you do take time to settle. And then immediately thereafter, the elections came. And, uh, at least I think that the looks of by elections and everybody thinks that it's a different ball game and we have to see at that point of time. And there are previous examples to that effect and and certainly, you know, if the Chief, if you look at the chief ministerial candidate, I believe that there will be two chief ministers in the five year tenure of Congress. There could be, you know, some kind of adjustment out there because if you make somebody say, for example, which may may not be the first choice and D. K Kumar being very close to the high command and not the original congressman, so therefore there could be a possibility because you can't ignore Siya as well, so I believe there will be a possibility of two chief ministers in the five year tenure of the Congress so that the Congress remains intact because both of them are very strong leaders and so far as B. JP is concerned, they had about 71 new faces in this election. So they are also trying to build up after the vacuum of Mr So. So far as 2024 elections are concerned. Locals of by elections are concerned. I think b JP is well poised and they are working very hard, also on the ground and the prime minister wherever he goes or even in Karnataka. His pitch is always development, either his inaugurating projects or laying down foundations, and some of the projects actually rectified just before the elections as a strategy or otherwise. It is something we can always talk about, but the fact remains, development is always the agenda. But at the micro level, I believe the BJP has to work a better strategy. But everybody thought it will harm the Congress. Probably it galvanised the Muslim votes and and and and gravitated towards the Congress. So was it a for I don't know, it was probably a brilliant move and that the Congress stuck to a strategy in the past. What we've seen, they've like, oscillated. If someone criticises, they step back. But this time, whatever it is, for better or for worse, they stuck to it. Their strategy has always been, you know, a region specific within the within the It's not one holistic strategy, right? I want to get in. So where do you stand on this? That lessons to be learned takeaways from this the Congress can replicate in 2024 although the B JP should be very off in 2024. 1st of all, I think Mr NGO's idea to chief chief ministers. Somebody just needs to look at Rajasthan and see what happens when that does happen. I don't think anybody is going to buy that first of all lessons. Same as I march local campaign united front amongst the local leaders. Keep it localised. Don't indulge in personal attacks. Central Command has a role to play, but as a as a charity, not as the main archer, right. And I think that is the key idea here. Keep it local, Keep it simple, but how does stay persistent? Stay persistent. And I think Naresh a uh, the key campaign manager. He mentioned a very, very interesting point. You can't just build a campaign in four months. It takes time. You know, you have to build on the anti incumbency over time. That's what Congress did in Connecticut. So you had a question. Now, how does this affect 2024 then this? Of course, the whole threat of double engine car didn't seem to work over here because there was just one engine, As Mr Nigam was saying, the local leadership was just, you know, all over the place. And in fact, Sarah, across BJP states, only two chief ministers currently as trackers, are performing good, which is S and P trash in all other states. It is upon Mr Modi to defy the anti incumbency and to wipe out that loss. In some states, he succeeds in other states. He may not succeed, but in a national campaign, they'll openly be saying, Vote 2024 is your question. And my answer is, I don't think it's something to be even discussed because it's a very different election. Is that a T 20 game or the test match so all right, well, we can debate this till the cows come home, but I think one thing we can all agree on that one major winner in this election is Malik Malik, who has shown in this Congress victory in Karnataka. The Congress president's future perhaps looks more stable and rewarding based on the Congress's performance in the Karnataka polls, a spectacular Congress win in his home state victory victory, a shot in the arm for Malik Arjun, who took over as Congress president last year, the first non Gandhi to hold the post in 25 years. And at a time when the party was at its lowest ebb politically while the party made credit Rahul Gandhi. There is no taking away the credit from the man of the moment Malik, a key win that breaks the grand old Party's long political winter, a booster shot ahead of the Mad Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chaka battles later this year and the Big One in 2024. The Congress veteran stint as the party president began on a bumpy note as pundits and political rivals dismissed him as a mere rubber stamp for the Gandhis. Then came stunning defeats in Gujarat last year and the Northeast earlier this year. The Himan win being the only silver lining on the Congress cloud. But Congress's marathon man, as he's often called, can take heart from the results in his home state. Karnataka is key to Congress's 2024 plans Ky's big challenge. It will also raise Congress's political stop in the opposition unity attempts. The towering ballot leader has helped Congress win back the community votes.
