"It was clear that Congress will form govt in Karnataka" : Himachal CM Sukhu

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, as the counting trends showed that the Congress was poised to return in Karnataka with a comfortable majority, Sukhu said, "After the Congress's victory in the elections to the Shimla Municipal Corporation, I visited poll-bound Karnataka. While interacting with locals there, it became clear to me that the Congress will form the next government in Karnataka."

Reacting to Congress's resounding win in the Karnataka Assembly polls, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said it became clear during his last visit that his party will form the government in the southern state. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, as the counting trends showed that the Congress was poised to return in Karnataka with a comfortable majority, Sukhu said, "After the Congress's victory in the elections to the Shimla Municipal Corporation, I visited poll-bound Karnataka. While interacting with locals there, it became clear to me that the Congress will form the next government in Karnataka."

"Our victory in Karnataka has shown that people's thought processes and choices can change anytime. Our leader Rahul Gandhi gave specific guarantees to the people of Karnataka. The rallies by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi also resonated with the people," he added. Earlier, on Saturday, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the results of the Karnataka Assembly polls ought to be read as his party's victory over Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"As the results firm up in Karnataka, it is now certain that the Congress has won and the PM has lost. The BJP had made its election campaign a referendum on the PM and on the state getting his 'ashirwaad' (blessing). That has been decisively rejected!" Ramesh tweeted. "The PM injected divisiveness and attempted polarisation. The vote in Karnataka is for an engine in Bengaluru that will combine economic growth with social harmony," Ramesh tweeted further.

According to the latest counting trends in Karnataka, the Congress has won 128 seats and is leading in 8 more while the BJP has won 60 seats and is leading in 5. The run-up to the single-phased polls on May 10 saw a high-decibel campaign between the BJP and the Congress.

The state saw robust polling for 224 Assembly seats, with the eventual turnout recorded at 73.29 per cent. (ANI)

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