evidence: Experts say the win will give the Congress party a much-needed morale boost ahead of the national election due next year. Karnataka - the BJP's only bastion in southern India and home to tech hub Bangalore - was the first of five big states to go to the polls this year. [...] Analysts say that the BJP, which had been governing Karnataka for four years, faced strong anti-incumbency sentiment. Its tenure was marked by internal squabbles and allegations of poor governance. Party leaders also mostly focused on the achievements of Mr Modi's federal government in their speeches. [...] Mr Singh from the Congress claimed that Karnataka's voters had rejected the "divisive and communal politics" of the BJP. He also said that Mr Gandhi's nationwide "unity march", which ended in January, galvanised Congress members.