In Karnataka, alliances for Lok Sabha polls are routine affairs, national parties calling shots for over 25 years

In the 1998 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP, which was on an upward surge, fought the polls with coalition partner Lok Shakti in Karnataka. BJP contested from 18 seats and won 13, while Lok Shakti won from three of the 10 constituencies it contested from. The Congress and Janata Dal won nine and three seats, respectively.

Another key aspect of these associations is the dominance of national parties while allocating seats to their regional allies. (Illustration: Dinkar Sasi)

Another Lok Sabha election was held the very next year, during which the Janata Dal split into two groups in Karnataka – the Janata Dal (United) and Janata Dal (Secular). After Lok Shakti merged with the JD(U), the BJP allied with the party to contest the 1999 election. The alliance did not fare well for the BJP then, as it won only seven seats – its lowest tally after it emerged as a dominant party in Karnataka. The BJP contested from 19 seats, while the JD(U) from nine.

The BJP-JD(U) coalition continued in the next election in 2004, too. Contesting from 24 seats, the BJP won 18. The JD(U) lost in all the four seats it contested.

In the next two elections, 2009 and 2014, the state’s prominent parties fought Lok Sabha polls independently. The BJP secured around two-thirds of seats in both times, winning 19 and 17 seats, respectively.

In 2019, the BJP secured its biggest tally ever in Karnataka – winning 25 of the 28 seats. That was the year when the Congress was in alliance for a Lok Sabha election for the first time in Karnataka. The Congress allied with the JD(S) as the two parties were running a coalition state government. The Congress won from just one of the 19 constituencies it contested from, while the JD(S) won one out of nine.