Bengaluru: The incumbent Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai who had conceded defeat soon after noon on Saturday said he took responsibility for the debacle.
"I take responsibility for this debacle. There are multiple reasons for this. We will find out all the reasons and strengthen the party once again for Parliament elections...," says Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai. Asked what BJP missed out on, Bommai said that Congress had started the preparations much earlier than BJP. "That is a major reason," he said.
Earlier in the day in Haveri, when trends showed Congress winning, Bommai said that they were not able to make the mark in spite of the efforts put in by everyone including Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi. "We've not been able to make the mark in spite of a lot of efforts put up by everyone, right from our Prime Minister to our workers. We will do a detailed analysis once the results are out. As a national political party, we will see what gaps and deficiencies were there at different levels. We will look into them and improve them. We take this result in our stride. We will reorganise the party and come back stronger in the Lok Sabha elections," Bommai told reporters in Haveri.
A resurgent Congress is set for a simple majority in Karnataka, and on course to wrest power from the BJP in a morale-boosting victory ahead of next year's Lok Sabha elections. As per the latest trends, the M Mallikarjun Kharge-led party has won in 101 constituencies and is leading in another 35, well above the 113-mark needed for a majority in the 224-member House, elections to which were held on May 10.
The BJP, which won 104 seats in the previous Assembly elections, has won only 48 and is leading in 16 segments. Putting up a united front and making corruption a central theme of its campaign coupled with pre-poll 'guarantees' of free power and rice and unemployment dole did the trick for Congress in defeating the BJP, which was weighed down by anti-incumbency.
In addition, the Muslim vote, which accounted for nearly 13 per cent of the electorate, consolidated in favour of the party, Congress sources said. The Congress has promised to implement poll guarantees' 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti - on the very first day after coming to power in the state.
The Congress successfully wresting power in Karnataka after Himachal Pradesh will be a morale booster for the party in reviving its electoral fortunes and strengthening its credentials as the main opposition player against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. "I think this election is crucial. This result is the stepping stone for the party in the Lok Sabha election in 2024...I also hope that Rahul Gandhi becomes the prime minister of this country," party stalwart and former chief minister Siddaramaiah said.
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