Karnataka Elections 2023: ‘People voted against BJP’s money and muscle power,’ says Chidambaram on Congress win

Soon after a strong poll showing by the Congress in the Karnataka assembly election, veteran party leader P Chidambaram on Saturday congratulated the southern state’s people for a “decisive verdict” and said they had successfully rejected the “money and muscle power of the so-called double engine government” of the Bharatiya Janata Party.The Congress is ahead in 136 of the 224 assembly seats in the state and is set to get a clear majority, according to the latest trends on the Election Commission’s website. The BJP was ahead in 63 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) on only 22.“Warm congratulations and sincere thanks to the people of Karnataka for delivering a decisive verdict. This election was more than an election to a state assembly. It was about upholding the fundamental values of the Indian Constitution and stopping the damage done by supremacist theories, discrimination and prejudice,” Chidambaram said on Twitter.The people of Karnataka have stood up to the “money and muscle power of the so-called double engine government of the BJP”, the former Union minister said and added that they have shown a glorious path to the rest of the country.“Karnataka, which is one of our more advanced states, can now forge ahead and occupy the top rank in economic development and human development indicators. My congratulations to the warriors of the KPCC who fought a valiant battle and emerged victorious,” Chidambaram said.KPCC president DK Shivakumar was in tears after trends indicated a landslide victory for the Congress in Karnataka. “I credit my cadres and all my leaders,” a visibly teary-eyed Shivakumar told reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence.The Congress workers and the leaders have worked hard, he said. “People have expressed faith in us. We have jointly worked under collective leadership,” Shivalkumar said.The Congress looks poised to win power in Karnataka, ousting the BJP from its only southern stronghold on Saturday, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.As results from the May 10 elections made the BJP’s defeat increasingly apparent, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat and said the party “had not been able to make the mark despite of a lot of effort put in by everyone, including the prime minister and workers of the party.”The Congress is leading in 136 of the 224 assembly seats in the state, comfortably breaching the magic number of 113, while the BJP is at 64, according to the Election Commission website. The JD-S, which was hoping to play kingmaker, is leading in only 20 seats.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.