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Karnataka Elections: Congress set to form
govt, BJP routed
Wednesday May 08, 2013 12:59:58 PM,
IANS
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Bangalore: The Congress
Wednesday prepared to take power in Karnataka with an absolute
majority, leaving the ruling BJP far behind with less than 40
seats in the 225-member assembly.
As votes were counted for the elections held Sunday, the Bharatiya
Janata Party appeared set for a humiliating rout in the state
where it took power five years ago -- relegated to the third spot.
In contrast, the Congress headed for triumph. Congress workers
celebrated wildly in Bangalore, bursting firecrackers.
Congress strongman in Karnataka Siddharamiah was sanguine in
victory. "It was only expected," said the man who could be the
next chief minister.
Added BJP leader and former chief minister Sadanand Gowda soberly:
"We have not been able to rise to the occasion. We could not reach
out to the voter with whatever development work we did in
Karnataka."
According to the latest trends available, the Congress could win
118 seats, comfortably over the halfway mark of 112.
The BJP, which has seen three chief ministers in five years and
found itself split right down the middle with B.S. Yeddyurappa
forming his own party, was way behind with 36 seats.
Even the Janata Dal-S (JD-S) was ahead with 41 seats. And
Yeddyurappa's Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), who left the BJP amid
allegations of corruption, made its political debut with an
estimated 14 seats.
It was a reversal of fortunes of sorts for the two main parties -
the Congress, readying for power in Bangalore, is on the backfoot
in New Delhi as the BJP demands the resignations of Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh as well as union ministers Pawan Kumar Bansal and
Ashwani Kumar.
For the Congress, battling an opposition offensive over graft
charges in New Delhi, the victory was just what it needed to get a
morale boost ahead of the general elections in 2014.
Said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi: "We are winning
because people have seen through and rejected the BJP."
For the BJP, the election result was a sharp fall from five years
ago when it won 110 seats and formed its first government in the
south with the help of five independents.
The rout saw deputy chief minister K.S. Eshwarappa, trailing in
his home constituency in Shimoga along with Law Minister S. Suresh
Kumar in Rajajinagar in Bangalore and Muruegesh Nirani in Bilagi
in north Karnataka.
The party lost badly both in rural and urban areas. A sorry
scenario because it had hoped to make Karnataka the base to make a
major breakthrough into south India.
Said the party's Rajiv Pratap Rudy: "We have lost the election.
And it is time for introspection."
JD-S leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, who had hoped perhaps to be
kingmaker, said he was happy to be the main opposition.
"We will be happy to be the main opposition in Karnataka. We will
play our role well. The Congress is not going to come to us
seeking our help, we know that," the former chief minister said.
The assembly has 224 elected and one nominated members. The
election took place Sunday for 223 seats as election was cancelled
in one constituency after the BJP candidate died.
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