Congress leader DK Shivakumar broke down today as counting leads indicated a big victory for his party in Karnataka. Mr Shivakumar said he had "promised to Sonia Gandhi I will deliver Karnataka".
"I assured Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver Karnataka. I can't forget Sonia Gandhi coming to meet me in jail," Mr Shivakumar, 61, told reporters.
The Karnataka Congress chief, who is a contender for the Chief Minister's job, said: "The Congress office is our temple. We will decide our next step at the Congress office."
He also said he had not slept for three years. "I want to thank my leader Sonia Gandhi. She reposed confidence in me. Since that day I have not slept," he said.
"I thank all leaders in my state including Siddaramaiah," he added, asserting that it was "not my victory alone".
Siddaramaiah, 75, is his main rival in the race for the chief minister's post.
"It's a big victory for the Congress party. The people of Karnataka wanted change. This is a mandate against Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress crossed the halfway mark in Karnataka in less than two hours of counting. The party hopes to finish with at least 120 seats, riding on a jump in its vote share. The party appeared to have made big gains at the cost of the Janta Dal Secular (JDS).
The incumbent BJP conceded defeat and said it would return during the Lok Sabha polls next year.
"In spite of a lot of efforts put in by PM and BJP workers, we have not been able to make the mark. Once the full results come in we'll do a detailed analysis. We take this result in our stride to come back in Lok Sabha elections," said outgoing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who had earlier said he was confident of a BJP victory.
Congress Launches 'Kharche Pe Charcha' Campaign Ahead Of Haryana Polls Tie-Up With Omar Abdullah's Party "National Compulsion": Congress J&K Chief In Congress Reshuffle, Party Appoints New Secretaries, Joint Secretaries US Millionaire, Who Died By Suicide, Owed $34 Million With $8,000 In Bank Elderly Man Slapped, Abused On Train Over Suspicion Of Carrying Beef Manipur Chief Minister Slams Tejashwi Yadav Over "Racist" Jab At Himanta Sarma 8 Killed After Bus Carrying 47 Overturns In US State Of Mississippi: Report Trump "Disrespected Sacred Ground' At US Military Cemetery: Kamala Harris Top 10 US Universities Based On Forbes Rankings 2024 Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.