With the Karnataka assembly elections set to be held on May 12, the political battle shifts from the east (three North-Eastern states went to the polls in February) and north (by-polls were held in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in March) to the south.
But it is not just the shift in geography which makes the battle for the southern state important. It is a battle which will, in many ways, determine the political balance of power in 2019.
Here is why Karnataka matters.
For the Congress, this is almost an existential battle. The party has been reduced to power in only three states — Punjab, Mizoram and Karnataka. A loss could erode Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s credibility. It could devastate the cadre and leave them with a sense that 2019 is a lost cause. It will leave the party without power in the South (barring Puducherry) — which remains the final unconquered bastion for the BJP.