Data | Amul vs Nandini row impact: Congress emerges favourite in milk-producing districts

The milk agitations propelled the Congress in districts to leads over its rivals

The Amul vs Nandini row had agitated local milk producers in Karnataka. The problem snowballed into a political issue just days before the State went to the polls. If the dairy farmers’ anger reflected in the votes, the impact was expected to be pronounced in Belagavi, Tumkur, Hassan, Mysuru and Mandya, the top five milk-producing districts. 

Data shows that, of the 54 seats in these five districts, the Congress led in 29 constituencies in the 2023 polls, 15 more than their 2018 tally. The JD(S), a party that has traditionally done well in these areas and in the agricultural belt, led in only 11 seats, 11 less than the previous elections. The BJP trailed in six seats compared to 2018. In terms of vote share too, the Congress gained the most.

The chart shows the top milk-producing districts of Karnataka (milk production in ‘000’ tonnes).

The table shows the vote share secured by the three parties in the 2023 Assembly Elections and the change in vote share from 2018 (in % points) in the top five milk producing districts.

As can be observed from the table, the Congress’ vote share increased by 4.4% points in 2023 compared to the 2018 polls in the top five milk-producing districts of Karnataka, while the JD(S)‘s vote share declined by 5.6% points. The BJP’s vote share remained almost constant. The data shows that Congress was favoured in the milk-producing districts in 2023.

The table shows the seats secured by the three parties in the 2023 Assembly Elections and the change in seats from 2018 in the top five milk-producing districts. 

The Congress is the only party which gained seats in these districts. The Congress is set to improve its seat tally by leading in 15 more seats compared to the 2018 polls, while the BJP and the JD(S) are trailing in many of them.