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Congress leaders and workers celebrate at the party office as the party leads in early trends on the vote-counting day of Karnataka Assembly polls 2023, in Bengaluru | Photo: PTI
I take full responsibility for the defeat, says Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said he will take full responsibility for the BJP's defeat in the Assembly elections, and that the party will function as a responsible opposition in the days to come.
He said Congress' "much organised" election strategy might have been one of the major reasons for its win.
"Election results are in the final stages, I accept the mandate of the people with utmost respect. I take responsibility for this BJP's defeat, no one else has the responsibility. As the chief minister of the state I take the responsibility. There is a need to do the complete analysis of this defeat, as there are various reasons for this," Bommai said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the party will analyse the performance in every constituency in detail.
Karnataka has shown a ray of hope: Mehbooba Mufti
Describing the Karnataka Assembly poll results as a "ray of hope", PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said and hoped that the rest of the country will also reject "communal politics" and vote for its development and prosperity.
Mufti's remarks came after the Congress emerged as the clear winner in the electoral battle in Karnataka. According to the latest trends on the Election Commission's (EC) website, the Congress was striding forward in 136 of the 224 Assembly seats in the southern state.
"The BJP tried its best to communalise the situation as is their habit. They even brought Bajrangbali, religion, Hindu-Muslim to the discourse. The prime minister tried to take the discourse on religious lines. Despite that, people kept these issues on the sidelines and chose the issue of development on which the Congress ran its campaign," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister told reporters here.
Karnataka polls: Congress at 137 as it leads in 101 seats and wins 36 seats
Siddaramaiah top contender for CM post in Karnataka
A renewed energy seems to have been infused into the 75-year old Congress leader Siddaramaiah's gait as he walked to address a packed press conference in Mysore on Saturday.
"This (election result in Karnataka) will be a stepping stone for Congress' victory in 2024," Siddaramaiah said, losing no time in sending the signal that he has set his sights set on the future.
In the run up to the elections, Siddaramaiah's appeal was sombre.
"This is my last election. I will retire from electoral politics", the senior Congress leader had repeatedly said.
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First Published: May 13 2023 | 6:39 AM IST
