Saturday, 27 April 2024
Saturday, 27 April 2024
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. 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.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with senior party leaders Randeep Singh Surjewala, Siddaramaiah, D.K. Shivakumar and K.C. Venugopal during celebrations after the party's win in Karnataka Assembly elections, in Bangalore. This poll was also a prestige battle in a way for the grand old party with a Kannadiga Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from Kalaburagi district, at its helm as the national president.
"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.
"The people of Karnataka are very politically matured. They know which party would save the state because there was a threat by the BJP to the secular fabric of the state," Siddaramaiah added.
Overcome with emotions, Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar on Saturday broke down while reacting to the Assembly elections results and gave credit to the Gandhi family for reposing their faith in his leadership in the State. With tears rolling down his cheeks, the former Minister thanked the party cadres and leaders for the victory. "I had told Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge that we will deliver Karnataka. I can't forget Sonia Gandhi coming to meet me when the 'BJP people' had put me in jail. This is the confidence the Gandhi family, Congress and the entire country has bestowed on me," he said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hailed the party's performance in the Karnataka assembly polls, saying "nafrat ka bazaar" has closed down and "mohabbat ki dukaanein" have opened in the state. "I am happy we contested the Karnataka polls without using hate, bad language. We fought the polls with love. In Karnataka, 'nafrat ka bazaar (market of hate)' has closed down', 'mohabbat ki dukaanein' (shops of love) have opened," he said.
The Congress, by and large, focused on local issues in this election and its campaign also was run by state leaders initially. However, its central leaders such as party president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra pitched in subsequently.
The Congress entered the campaign with the challenge of keeping at bay the factionalism, especially between the camps of its two chief ministerial aspirants -- Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar -- who were often seen to be engaging in political one-upmanship, but succeeded in putting up a united front and ensured that no rift came out in the open and derailed its prospects.
Congress supporters celebrate party's win in the Karnataka Assembly elections, in Bangalore. This poll was also a prestige battle in a way for the grand old party with a Kannadiga Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from Kalaburagi district, at its helm as the national president. Though the campaign initially centered around its state leaders like Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, Kharge gave it momentum and thereby prepared the pitch for the party's top leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi to join in.
Amid these back-to-back controversies, the Congress manifesto's promise of banning the Bajrang Dal caused some anxiety to the party, as the BJP and PM Modi aggressively picked up the issue to portray the grand old party as being against Lord Hanuman and the sentiments of Hindus.
