Karnataka poll results: Mahagathbandhan upbeat, leaders say ‘beginning of BJP’s end’
State Congress president and Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh hailed Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra for the Karnataka victory.
Upbeat after the Karnataka assembly poll results, leaders of the ruling alliance in Bihar, the Mahagahtbandhan, which also comprises the Congress, on Saturday said it was the “beginning of the end of BJP in India”.
“They used all tricks, tried to fan the religious frenzy and more importantly, honourable PM campaigned, but everything failed in front of corruption of BJP government. Karnataka has become BJP-mukt (free of BJP),” the ruling Janata Dal United national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh said in a tweet in Hindi.
“The people of Karnataka were fed up with the corrupt rule of the BJP. Even God is angry with his name being dragged into electoral politics. The Prime Minister himself was trying to polarize votes by starting his election addresses with the praise of Bajrang Bali,” said Bihar’s finance minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, also from the JD-U, a party to which chief minister Nitish Kumar belongs.
CM Kumar also congratulated the Congress in a tweet in Hindi.
The historic Sadaqat Ashram premises in Patna, which has served as the state Congress headquarters for decades, wore a festive look after a long time, with party workers beating drums and sharing sweets, as trends predicted a thumping majority for the party in the southern state.
State Congress president and Rajya Sabha member Akhilesh Prasad Singh hailed Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra for the Karnataka victory. “Before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, it was a litmus test of the mood of the people, who have voted against the Prime Minister’s dictatorial policies,” he said.
“The results have shown that Bajrang Bali got angry with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and blessed the Congress. BJP’s attempt to brazen out corruption by polarizing voters along religious lines backfired,” said Congress MLC Prem Chandra Mishra.
He asserted that the BJP, which is poised for a humiliating loss in Karnataka, “should get ready for playing the role of the opposition party after the Lok Sabha polls next year. It plays the role of the opposition well. But flounders whenever it comes to power”.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), also a part of the ruling alliance in Bihar, reacted on similar lines. “Like Lal Krishna Advani, they forgot Lord Ram, due to which Bajrang Bali got angry and using his mace, he has destroyed the egoistic opportunism of BJP,” said RJD spokesperson Chittaranjan Gagan. “Karnataka assembly elections have started the process of BJP’s downfall,” he said.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including state unit president Samrat Chaudhary, former union minister Ravishankar Prasad, union minister Giriraj Singh and others, who watched a special screening of The Kerala Story in Patna on Saturday, avoided commenting on the results.
Political observers feel the Karnataka result will not only boost the morale of the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar but will also strengthen also for chief minister’s Nitish Kumar’s opposition unity bid.
Nawal Kishore Chowdhary, a social scientist, said, “Nitish’s opposition unity mission will also get a shot in arm. It is possible that more regional parties join his initiative. The results are going to have an impact on the stature and role of Nitish Kumar.”
However, some others apprehend some tension in governance in Bihar. “From being a passive follower in governance, Congress can demand a dominant role and a greater share in governance. One can also see projection of a Congress leader as the leader of opposition unity,” said Gyanendra Yadav, associate professor of sociology at College of Commerce in Bihar’s capital.
A section of JD(U) leaders also apprehend some headache in seat distribution. “Nitish Kumar may have to compromise on the distribution of seats,” said one of the, who didn’t want to be named.