Karnataka poll result: Hard numbers play second fiddle to political math

'How many seats' is irrelevant; Skill at cobbling up a winnable alliance is what will determine who forms the next government in the state

The results of the Karnataka assembly election are out. The BJP has emerged as the largest party with around 104 seats, while the Congress has suffered a big loss, capturing only 78. Prior to these results, there was consensus among analysts that Congress may win this election in the absence of any negative issues such as anti-incumbency. However, its Lingayat card backfired and the party failed to meet the anticipation of analysts. The Lingayat community felt the congress wasn't a well wisher of the community in the true sense and only offered it a separate identity with the vested interest