Narendra Modi loses India swing state, boosting Gandhi before 2024 election

BLOOMBERG

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conceded a loss in the southern swing state of Karnataka, a rare victory for Rahul Gandhi’s opposition Congress party as it looks to build momentum ahead of national elections next year.
Congress took 135 seats in the 224-member assembly, its biggest victory against Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in major state elections since the prime minister took power in 2014. The BJP won 66 seats, according to the Election Commission of India.
“Congratulations to the Congress Party for their victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls,” Modi, who campaigned prominently in a state that boasts the IT hub of Bengaluru, said in a Twitter post. “My best wishes to them in fulfilling people’s aspirations.”
The election in Karnataka, the only southern state in which Modi’s BJP held power, was the first of several key state elections testing the national mood ahead of the 2024 vote. While Congress has been routed in the last two national polls, high inflation and unemployment are stirring discontent in the nation of 1.4 billion people.
The Karnataka vote saw Modi face off directly against Gandhi, the scion of Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, who was convicted for making defamatory remarks about the prime minister’s last name in 2019. The verdict led to Gandhi’s ouster from parliament earlier this year.