After Mallikarjun Kharge's election, what do Congress and BJP have in common?

The Bhartiya Janata Party, which is in power in the state, has leaders from Karnataka.

Mallikarjun Kharge - a senior Congress leader from Karnataka - was declared the new Congress president Wednesday after he defeated colleague Shashi Tharoor. Kharge, 80, is the first non-Gandhi president of the embattled opposition party in over two decades.

Kharge's victory at the polls - viewed as a foregone conclusion because the Rajya Sabha MP is seen as the unofficial candidate of the Gandhi family - means the presidents of the Congress' main and youth wings are both from the southern state.

Kharge's victory at the polls - viewed as a foregone conclusion because the Rajya Sabha MP is seen as the unofficial candidate of the Gandhi family - means the presidents of the Congress' main and youth wings are both from the southern state.

Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV also hails from Karnataka. He was appointed IYC chief in 2019 after former president Keshav Chand Yadav resigned. Srinivas was lauded for his response to the Covid pandemic, during which time he helped thousands of people.

It isn't just the Congress that has senior leadership positions filled by those from Karnataka.

The Bhartiya Janata Party, which is in power in the state, has leaders from Karnataka.

Tejasvi Surya, a MP representing the Bengaluru (South) constituency, is head of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha. BL Santosh, who hails from Karnataka’s Udupi region, is the BJP’s national general secretary. In addition, former chief minister BS Yediyurappa was included in the party's central parliamentary board in August.

With an assembly election due in Karnataka next year and a general election in 2024, Karnataka does seem like a key state for both parties.