{"id":6892,"date":"2023-05-13T10:57:21","date_gmt":"2023-05-13T09:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=6892"},"modified":"2023-05-13T11:25:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-13T10:25:06","slug":"modis-nationalist-party-fears-to-lose-karnataka-because-of-modis-unpopularity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/politics\/modis-nationalist-party-fears-to-lose-karnataka-because-of-modis-unpopularity\/2023\/05\/13\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Modi’s nationalist party fears to lose Karnataka because of Modi’s unpopularity"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW<\/span> DELHI<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Narendra<\/span> Modi’s<\/span> Hindu<\/span> nationalist<\/span> party<\/span> has<\/span> threatened<\/span> to<\/span> lose<\/span> Karnataka,<\/span> the<\/span> only<\/span> state<\/span> in<\/span> southern<\/span> India<\/span> it<\/span> governs.<\/span> That’s<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> Saturday’s<\/span> early<\/span> voting<\/span> tally,<\/span> which<\/span> showed<\/span> the<\/span> opposition<\/span> Congress<\/span> Party<\/span> leading<\/span> a<\/span> major<\/span> state<\/span> poll.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>India’s<\/span> Electoral<\/span> Commission<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> legislature<\/span> had<\/span> taken<\/span> the<\/span> lead<\/span> in<\/span> 135<\/span> out<\/span> of<\/span> 224<\/span> seats<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> state<\/span> legislatures,<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> counting<\/span> of<\/span> votes<\/span> continued.<\/span> Modi’s<\/span> ruling<\/span> Bharatiya<\/span> Janata<\/span> Party<\/span> (Bharatiya<\/span> Janata<\/span> Party)<\/span> took<\/span> first<\/span> place<\/span> in<\/span> 63<\/span> constituencies,<\/span> while<\/span> another<\/span> regional<\/span> party,<\/span> the<\/span> Janata<\/span> Dal<\/span> (secular),<\/span> took<\/span> the<\/span> lead<\/span> with<\/span> 21<\/span> seats.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Karnataka,<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> India’s<\/span> richest<\/span> states,<\/span> will<\/span> vote<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> full<\/span> results<\/span> are<\/span> expected<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> announced<\/span> late<\/span> Saturday.<\/span> A<\/span> party<\/span> needs<\/span> 113<\/span> seats<\/span> to<\/span> win<\/span> a<\/span> simple<\/span> majority.<\/span> The<\/span> result<\/span> is<\/span> expected<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> a<\/span> big<\/span> boost<\/span> for<\/span> opposition<\/span> parties<\/span> that<\/span> want<\/span> to<\/span> form<\/span> a<\/span> united<\/span> front<\/span> to<\/span> challenge<\/span> Modi<\/span> in<\/span> next<\/span> year’s<\/span> general<\/span> election.<\/span> They<\/span> would<\/span> also<\/span> improve<\/span> prospects<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> Congress<\/span> party,<\/span> which<\/span> has<\/span> lost<\/span> the<\/span> last<\/span> two<\/span> national<\/span> polls<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> BJP<\/span> and<\/span> is<\/span> looking<\/span> to<\/span> regain<\/span> political<\/span> standing<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> country.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> recent<\/span> years,<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Modi<\/span> has<\/span> sought<\/span> to<\/span> maximize<\/span> his<\/span> profits<\/span> in<\/span> Karnataka,<\/span> following<\/span> a<\/span> ban<\/span> on<\/span> Indian<\/span> Bharatiya<\/span> Janata<\/span> leaders<\/span> and<\/span> supporters<\/span> from<\/span> wearing<\/span> scarves<\/span> as<\/span> part<\/span> of<\/span> school<\/span> uniforms.<\/span> In<\/span> Karnataka,<\/span> the<\/span> polarization<\/span> between<\/span> majority<\/span> Hindus<\/span> and<\/span> minority<\/span> Muslims<\/span> deepened.<\/span> According<\/span> to<\/span> India’s<\/span> latest<\/span> census,<\/span> his<\/span> 2011<\/span> census,<\/span> Karnataka’s<\/span> population<\/span> was<\/span> 84%<\/span> \u200b\u200bHindu,<\/span> nearly<\/span> 13%<\/span> Muslim,<\/span> and<\/span> less<\/span> than<\/span> 2%<\/span> Christian.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Modi<\/span> party,<\/span> which<\/span> relies<\/span> on<\/span> Modi’s<\/span> popularity,<\/span> wants<\/span> to<\/span> keep<\/span> the<\/span> only<\/span> southern<\/span> state<\/span> ever<\/span> in<\/span> power,<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> state<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> less<\/span> responsive<\/span> to<\/span> its<\/span> strong<\/span> Hindu<\/span> supremacist<\/span> policies<\/span> than<\/span> other<\/span> regions.<\/span> was<\/span> relatively<\/span> slow.<\/span> In<\/span> recent<\/span> weeks,<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Modi<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> actively<\/span> campaigning<\/span> in<\/span> Karnataka,<\/span> home<\/span> to<\/span> 65<\/span> million<\/span> people,<\/span> and<\/span> has<\/span> staged<\/span> major<\/span> roadshows<\/span> across<\/span> the<\/span> state.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Karnataka<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> second<\/span> state<\/span> in<\/span> which<\/span> Modi’s<\/span> party<\/span> has<\/span> lost<\/span> parliament<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> past<\/span> six<\/span> months.<\/span> In<\/span> December,<\/span> parliament<\/span> dismissed<\/span> the<\/span> Bharatiya<\/span> Janata<\/span> Party<\/span> of<\/span> northern<\/span> Himachal<\/span> Pradesh,<\/span> a<\/span> small<\/span> Himalayan<\/span> state.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Modi’s<\/span> party<\/span> initially<\/span> promised<\/span> to<\/span> spur<\/span> development<\/span> and<\/span> lured<\/span> voters<\/span> with<\/span> social<\/span> measures.<\/span> But<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> run-up<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> election,<\/span> she<\/span> turned<\/span> to<\/span> her<\/span> usual<\/span> campaign<\/span> of<\/span> Hindu<\/span> nationalism,<\/span> accusing<\/span> the<\/span> parliament<\/span> of<\/span> ignoring<\/span> Hindu<\/span> values<\/span> \u200b\u200band<\/span> appeasing<\/span> minorities,<\/span> especially<\/span> Muslims.<\/span> Parliament<\/span> has<\/span> targeted<\/span> Modi’s<\/span> party<\/span> over<\/span> rising<\/span> inflation,<\/span> corruption<\/span> allegations<\/span> and<\/span> poor<\/span> infrastructure<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> state,<\/span> while<\/span> promising<\/span> power<\/span> subsidies,<\/span> food<\/span> rations<\/span> for<\/span> poor<\/span> families<\/span> and<\/span> financial<\/span> aid<\/span> for<\/span> unemployed<\/span> college<\/span> graduates.<\/span>\u00a0
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> poll<\/span> was<\/span> also<\/span> seen<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> further<\/span> confrontation<\/span> between<\/span> Modi<\/span> and<\/span> Congress<\/span> leadership<\/span> scion<\/span> Gandhi,<\/span> who<\/span> was<\/span> convicted<\/span> of<\/span> making<\/span> defamatory<\/span> remarks<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> prime<\/span> minister’s<\/span> surname<\/span> during<\/span> a<\/span> 2019<\/span> election<\/span> rally.<\/span> Gandhi<\/span> was<\/span> ousted<\/span> from<\/span> parliament<\/span> in<\/span> March<\/span> 2019.<\/span> If<\/span> the<\/span> court<\/span> does<\/span> not<\/span> overturn<\/span> the<\/span> conviction,<\/span> Gandhi<\/span> risks<\/span> losing<\/span> his<\/span> candidacy<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> next<\/span> eight<\/span> years.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Late<\/span> last<\/span> year,<\/span> Gandhi<\/span> embarked<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> 3,500-kilometer<\/span> (2,185-mile)<\/span> journey<\/span> through<\/span> Indian<\/span> towns<\/span> and<\/span> villages<\/span> to<\/span> revitalize<\/span> his<\/span> party<\/span> and<\/span> gain<\/span> public<\/span> support.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Karnataka<\/span> election<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> five<\/span> significant<\/span> elections<\/span> to<\/span> take<\/span> place<\/span> this<\/span> year.<\/span> These<\/span> are<\/span> seen<\/span> as<\/span> indicators<\/span> of<\/span> voter<\/span> sentiment<\/span> ahead<\/span> of<\/span> next<\/span> year’s<\/span> national<\/span> elections,<\/span> when<\/span> Modi<\/span> aims<\/span> to<\/span> renew<\/span> his<\/span> prime<\/span> ministership<\/span> for<\/span> a<\/span> third<\/span> straight<\/span> year.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW DELHI (AP) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party has threatened to lose Karnataka, the only state in southern India it governs. That’s according to Saturday’s early voting tally, which showed the opposition Congress Party leading a major state poll. India’s Electoral Commission said the legislature had taken the lead in 135 out […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[280,2407],"tags":[4885,4886,4887,4888,4889,4874,4890,4875,4891,4876,4892,4877,4878,4879,4880,4881,4882,4883,4884],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/modei.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6892"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6892"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6894,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6892\/revisions\/6894"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/be\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}