WHY WINNING KARNATAKA IS VERY CRUCIAL FOR CONGRESS
Presently, the Congress is heading governments in only three states - Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. It is a junior partner in the ruling coalitions in Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand.
"The BJP can still afford to lose this. We can't. 2024 is over if we don't win Karnataka," a Congress insider told The Quint.
Defeating the BJP in a near one-to-one contest would be just the boost it needs for the 2024 elections. And Karnataka is a big, resource-rich state and could address at least a fraction of the Congress' resource deficit with respect to the BJP.
Karnataka also happens to be the home state of the new Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, the first non-Gandhi to hold the office in 25 years. Losing here would mean a loss of political capital for Kharge.
