May 13 (UPI) — India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party suffered a major blow in the key Karnataka state elections on Saturday, losing decisively to the opposition Congress Party.
The BJP, led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been described as Hindu-nationalist by critics and has antagonized the nation’s Muslim population.
“People have rejected divisive politics,” said Congress Party spokesperson Pawan Khera, according to The Guardian.
Party leaders say Muslim voters contributed about 13% of their tally.
The election outcome means Congress will control four Indian states and has deprived the BJP of its only stronghold in Southern India.
The BJP’s chief minister, Basavaraj Bommai, said the party had fallen short “in spite of a lot of effort put in by everyone, including the prime minister and workers of the party.”
“We will do a detailed analysis as the results conclude. We will take these results in our stride and try to reorganize the party for next year’s Lok Sabha elections,” he told reporters after resigning from his post.
“I have tendered my resignation and it has been accepted,” he said.
Though the BJP remains in power nationwide, it has faced accusations of corruption and religious bigotry, which played into the Congress Party’s election strategy. In the leadup to the elections, Congress supporters took to referring to Modi’s administration as the “40% commission” government.
India’s election commission website showed Congress winning or leading in 136 out of Karnataka state’s 224 seats while the BJP was winning or leading in 64 seats.
The Janata Dal (Secular) party, which could play a crucial role in future coalition governance, was reportedly wining or leading in 20 seats.
The JD-S party was formed in 1999 as a reaction to the rising influence of the BJP. Members of its predecessor Janata Dal party — a socialist-leaning alliance founded in the 1970s — split when secularist members became outraged over party leader J.H. Patel’s alliance with the BJP.