Lokniti-CSDS survey | The Ahinda advantage for the Congress in Karnataka
The HinduThe rainbow coalition stitched by the Congress has been key to the party’s resounding victory. While 70% of Muslims voted for the Congress, the party also received sizeable support from various castes, except the upper castes and the Lingayats. There was no significant shift in the votes of the Lingayats away from the BJP though a prominent Lingayat leader of the BJP, Jagadish Shettar, quit the party and joined the Congress. The BJP also enjoyed a massive lead over the Congress among upper caste voters. 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections | Lokniti-CSDS postpoll study Karnataka voters are clearly divided on caste-community lines, with the traditional Brahmin-Lingayat combination behind the BJP and the rest behind the Congress — a repeat of the Ahinda social coalition.