The Indian National Congress won power in Karnataka, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party's government in a landslide result.

It won 135 of the 224 seats on offer.

That left it 22 seats clear of a majority.

The INC took 60.3% of the seats on 42.9% of the vote.

The BJP fell to 66 seats on 36.0% of the vote.

On 25 March 2023 Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's cabinet scrapped the state's 4% reservation for Muslims and redistributed it between Vokkaligas and Lingayats, weeks ahead of the election.¹

On 29 March 2023 the Election Commission announced a single-phase election, with nominations from 13 to 20 April, polling on 10 May and counting on 13 May.²

On 16 April 2023 former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar resigned as a BJP MLA and joined the Indian National Congress after being denied a ticket, saying some state BJP leaders were 'mishandling the BJP system in Karnataka.'³

On 2 May 2023 Congress released a manifesto promising free electricity and free bus travel for women, and pledging action against organisations 'spreading hatred,' naming the Bajrang Dal. The next day Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened a rally with the chant 'Jai Bajrang Bali,' saying Congress had 'decided to lock Hanuman.'⁴⁵

On 6 May 2023 the Election Commission issued a notice to the Congress unit in Karnataka over newspaper ads alleging 'corruption rates' by the BJP government, demanding evidence.⁶

BJP had come to power in 2019 without winning an election, after the previous coalition government fell in a wave of legislator resignations.⁷

It grew from 80 seats to 135 seats this time, enough to govern alone.

The single biggest movement ran from BJP to INC, covering 53 of the 115 seats that changed hands.

Turnout, the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot, fell -1.2 pp from the previous election, to 72.8%.

The closest race was at Jayanagar, Karnataka, decided by a margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — of 16 votes.

Kanakapura, Karnataka was won by the widest margin of the year, 64.2% of the vote.

Melukote, Karnataka recorded the highest turnout of any seat, at 90.9%.

Bangalore South, Karnataka was the largest constituency by registered voters, with 7,40,527 names on its rolls.

Bellary City, Karnataka drew the most crowded ballot, with 24 candidates standing.

NOTA — None of the Above, a ballot option letting voters formally reject every candidate on offer — drew 2,69,763 votes statewide, 0.7% of the total.

In 2008 the BJP formed its first-ever state government anywhere in south India, when Yediyurappa was sworn in as Chief Minister on 30 May 2008 after the party won 110 of 224 seats.⁸

It returned to power without a fresh election in 2019, after the Congress-JD(S) coalition that followed lost its majority in legislator resignations and Chief Minister Kumaraswamy resigned on 23 July 2019.⁷