"Congress' Karnataka Win Will Not Impact BJP In 2024": Himanta Sarma

Senior BJP leader in the Northeast and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Saturday said that Congress' win in Karnataka assembly polls will in no way affect BJP from returning to power for the third successive term at the Centre in 2024.

There is nothing new in Congress' win in Karnataka as it had been in power in the southern state before the 2014 general election when BJP came to power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

Mr Sarma, who had campaigned extensively in Karnataka before the election, said that he had realised that BJP will not perform well in the state but its performance will in no way affect the party from returning to power at the Centre for the third successive term.

"The opposition is taking this win as a straw to hold on to in the ocean, but it will have no impact in the future," he said at the sidelines of a function at Bihaguri in Assam's Sonitpur district.

Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhupen Borah expressing happiness at the Karnataka poll outcome said, "The people of Assam will also show the BJP the door in the next elections". In a jibe at the BJP, he said, "The prime minister even after getting Gandhi removed from the Lok Sabha could not stop Congress from winning the polls in Karnataka".

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha in March 2023 after a court convicted and sentenced him to prison for two years on the charge of criminal defamation for comments he made about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surname.

Mr Borah told reporters that the BJP has lost in all constituencies where Sarma had campaigned. On the other hand, Congress has won in all the 22 constituencies where party leader Rahul Gandhi had addressed meetings during his 'Bharat Jodo' programme.

Members of the Assam Association in Bengaluru, whom Sarma had met during his campaign, had called him during the day and told him that they had voted for the Congress, he claimed.

The Assam Congress president said that he will visit Karnataka soon and meet the Assamese community there.

The Congress headquarters in Guwahati erupted in celebration as news of the party's win poured in and party workers burst crackers and distributed sweets.

There was, however, a scuffle between the police and a group of Congress workers outside the party headquarters when they tried to break a barricade to celebrate on the streets.

The situation was soon brought under control, a police official said.

The Congress has crossed the 113-seat mark in the Assembly elections, the majority required to form the government, in Karnataka for which counting of votes took place on Saturday. The election to the 224-member Assembly took place on Wednesday.