Cong confident of winning Karnataka elections, BJP losing ground: Mallikarjun Kharge
New Delhi: Days before the crucial polling in Karnataka, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the surcharged atmosphere before the polling is a certain indication that the BJP leaders are losing ground every day and are fighting a losing battle. He further added that the BJP leaders are trying to scare people by stoking their fear with baseless and untenable arguments, but it is not making any impact on voters.
In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, the Congress president claimed that the party will comfortably win the Karnataka elections.
During the interview, Mr Kharge asserted that in some constituencies, there is a direct contest between the Congress and the BJP and in others, it is between the Congress and the JDS. However, the Congress is the only party that has a presence across the state and in every Assembly segment in the state.
Speaking on the controversy over the personal attacks against political leaders, Mr Kharge said that a figure of speech made during election rallies should not be twisted to make it personal; once we are in public life, we should learn to take criticism. He lamented that nowadays, cases are being filed and political scores are being settled through courts; everything is not personal.
The Congress has put up a spirited campaign to wrest power from the BJP in the state. The party is targeting the BJP over corruption issues. Ahead of the May 10 Karnataka Assembly election, the Congress released a set of posters listing out the "corruption rates" in the state between 2019 and 2023 while terming the BJP government a "trouble engine".
While the Congress is pinning down the BJP on the issue of corruption, the BJP claims that the Congress is anti-Hindu.
For the impending polls, the Congress has promised five guarantees -- Gruha Jyothi, Gruha Lakshmi, Anna Bhagya, Yuva Nidhi and Shakti -- to the voters of Karnataka in the party's manifesto.
Campaigning in the state comes to an end on May 8, and polling is scheduled for May 10.
