Congress scored an emphatic victory in Karnataka in a crucial election with the strong performance giving it momentum to take on the BJP in the assembly polls later this year and giving a boost to its preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls
With the Congress' emphatic victory in the Karnataka elections on Saturday, ousting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from power in the only southern state ruled by it, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said the election results marked a "BJP-free South India".
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said BJP could not buck the trend seen in the last 38 years in Karnataka that no incumbent party was elected again in the next election.
As Congress gained an absolute majority in Karnataka assembly elections on Saturday, party president Mallikarjun Kharge held a meeting with top leaders of the party from the State.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the party's victory in Karnataka is an outcome of "collective work" of party leaders and workers and that the party would work towards consensus to choose its chief ministerial candidate
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday exuded confidence and said that BJP will return to power in the state, while All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge said that they will see on Saturday after the results.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, the Congress MLA said, "My first reaction (to the exit-poll projections) is that I don't believe these numbers. I stand by my assessment, that we will win more than 146 seats. People are knowledgeable and educated and have voted considering the larger interes
"I've been voting at that polling booth for the last 55 years. Seeing the enthusiasm of the people, I feel that my party will come to power and we will win with the majority," says Congress national president.
Kharge tweeted, "People of Karnataka have decided that they shall choose a progressive, transparent and welfare-oriented government. Today, it is time vote in large numbers. We welcome our first time voters to participate in this democratic process for a better future."