Jairam Ramesh declares Congress victory, says PM lost in Karnataka polls
The leads in the Karnataka assembly polls suggest that the Congress is poised to secure a majority. In response, the party confidently stated on Saturday (May 13) that it has emerged victorious and claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “lost,” emphasising that the BJP had turned its election campaign into a “referendum on the PM.”
The Congress was striding forward with leads in 129 seats while the BJP was ahead in 67 in Karnataka, according to Election Commission trends, as votes were counted for an election widely seen as a litmus test for both parties ahead of the 2024 parliamentary polls.
Also Read: Karnataka polls: Bommai, Savadi lead; Shettar, V Somanna trailing
“As the results firm up in Karnataka it is now certain that the Congress has won and the PM has lost. The BJP had made its election campaign a referendum on the PM and on the state getting his ashirwaad. That has been decisively rejected!” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.
जैसे-जैसे कर्नाटक चुनाव का परिणाम अंतिम रूप ले रहा है, वैसे-वैसे स्पष्ट होता जा रहा है कि कांग्रेस जीत गई है और प्रधानमंत्री हार गए हैं। बीजेपी ने अपने चुनाव अभियान को पीएम और राज्य को उनका 'आशीर्वाद' मिलने को लेकर जनमत संग्रह बना लिया था। इसे स्पष्ट रूप से खारिज कर दिया गया है!…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 13, 2023
The Congress fought these elections on local issues of livelihood and food security, price rise, farmer distress, electricity supply, joblessness and corruption, he said.
Also Read: Congress, smelling win in Karnataka, hunts for safe place for MLAs
“The PM injected divisiveness and attempted polarisation. The vote in Karnataka is for an engine in Bengaluru that will combine economic growth with social harmony,” Ramesh said.
(With agency inputs)