Reservations and Karnataka Assembly Elections

The recent decision by the Karnataka government to grant reservations to the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities in the state is likely to have a significant impact on the upcoming state assembly elections. Both these communities are politically influential and have a large voter base in the state. The decision to grant them reservation in education and government jobs is likely to affect the political calculus of parties and candidates, and could shape the outcome of 2023’s assembly elections.

The Lingayat community, which forms around 17% of the population in Karnataka, has historically been a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stronghold. The community has been politically influential in the state and has produced several prominent leaders. The decision to grant reservations to the Lingayat community is likely to strengthen the BJP’s position in the state. The party has been trying to woo the community since the 2018 assembly elections, when it lost power to the Congress–Janata Dal (Secular) (JD[S]) alliance. The BJP had accused the Congress of dividing the Lingayat community by according them with a minority status. The decision to grant reservations to the community is likely to consolidate its support for the BJP, which could prove to be a game changer in the elections.