Notwithstanding the fact that the BJP increased the reservation of Scheduled Tribe communities from 3% to 7%, the party failed to bag even a single ST reserved seat in the Assembly elections. The party’s decision to float internal reservations among SC/ST communities hurt its chances of winning these seats, say experts.
BJP, which had won 21 reserve seats in the 2018 elections, managed to win 11 seats this term. It was able to retain only six seats that the party represented in the last term. Even transport minister B Sriramulu and Kudachi MLA P Rajeev have lost their seats.
Karnataka has 51 reserved seats out of which 15 are reserved for ST candidates and 36 for SC candidates.
“Dalit communities (Right) like the Banjaras, Bhovis and the Lambanis and others were unhappy with the BJP's decision to implement the policy of internal reservation among the Dalits. They have backed Congress in a big way in these polls. A sizable proportion of the Dalits (Left), who were supposed to back the BJP, due to its promise of internal reservation have also backed the Congress,” says Chandan Gowda, Professor, Institute for Social and Economic Change.
He also adds that the Lingayats, who are influential in most reserved constituencies, have supported the Congress. Their unhappiness with the BJP's treatment of its Lingayat leaders has mattered here.
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Congress bagged 22 SC reserve seats and 14 ST seats. In the last term, the party had managed to win 21 reserved seats. However, this year they have increased their tally to 36 seats. The party was successful in retaining 16 seats.
The support of smaller backward castes and Muslims, whose votes matter for the victory of candidates in ST reserved constituencies, has helped the Congress win the seats by good margins.
JD(S), which had bagged seven reserved seats last term, could win only four seats this time. The party failed to retain even a single reserved seat that it won last term. While it won two seats represented by BJP, it bagged one Congress and independent candidate’s seat this term.