Bengaluru: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president Dinesh Gundu Rao today said he was confident about Congress returning to power in the May 12 state assembly polls.
Incumbent Siddaramaiah will be the "front-runner" for the Chief Minister's post, he said.
Asserting that there was no anti-incumbency against the Siddaramaiah government, he took a dig at BJP, saying its president Amit Shah is becoming a "star campaigner" for the ruling party.
"Congress is going for election under the leadership of Chief Minister, it has been stated. It is under his leadership entire campaign is being run...he is the face of the election, he is the captain of our team," Mr Rao told PTI.
Mr Rao, however, did not wish to respond whether Congress' decision not to announce chief ministerial candidate was to avoid any divisions or conflict within the party, with KPCC president G Parameshwara also seen as a serious contender for the top job.
Mr Rao said he was confident about the Congress performing better than it did during the 2013 assembly polls, when it won 122 out of 224 seats.
Mr Rao also claimed that there was no anti-incumbency, adding, instead, "there is pro-incumbency."
"We should see to it that deserving people get the ticket, if we do that correctly, then I think definitely there will be no other problem," he said.
However, there was nothing of that sort this time, he said.
"We have given a very stable, good government, and have delivered on our promises which has reached the people.
This is a pro-incumbency government, people are preferring us to other parties," he said.
Ruling out "Modi wave", Mr Rao said the "Modi factor or phenomenon is going down, because people are not seeing tangible results."
He pointed out that Modi has not come to Karnataka for the last one-and-half months and has been cancelling his programmes.
"Why is he cancelling? Why is he not coming to Karnataka? Why is only Amit Shah touring? Modi himself is apprehensive I think," Mr Rao said.
Mr Shah's repeated visits to the poll bound state have had no impact, Mr Rao claimed.
"I think Amit Shah is becoming a star campaigner for the Congress, because whatever he is doing is helping us," he said, citing his "gaffes."
He claimed that Mr Shah coming to the state has also suffocated the BJP, as state leaders have "become voiceless",
"The more Amit Shah campaigns for BJP, the better it is for Congress," he said.
Responding to a question on former prime minister Deve Gowda's JDS, Mr Rao said, post election, the party that talked about secular credentials may join hands with the BJP.
He said as both these parties know that they cannot get majority on their own, they have an internal pact to thwart Congress from getting majority.
Asked about joining hands with JDS in case of a hung assembly, as Congress has worked with the party in the past, Rao said "The problem is they (JDS) are not reliable."
"They don't have ideology and philosophy... How can you have any plan based upon them?," he said.
Hitting out at the BJP for calling Congress and Rahul Gandhi "election Hindu," and defending visits to mutts and religious places, Rao said, the opposition is more aggressively doing it.
"Amit Shah is even conducting meetings of swamijis, which is so political," he said.
Claiming that Congress leaders have been to temples in the past also while campaigning, he said "it is an attempt by BJP to target Rahul Gandhi by accusing him of trying to get political mileage....which is not true."
Mr Rao also said the party has nothing to do on the issue of religious minority status to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats and the issue will not make much impact in the polls.
"Lingayat has nothing to do with the poll prospects or politics; Congress party does not have a stand on this, we have not taken any stand," he said.
Terming it is a "community issue", Mr Rao said the chief minister has followed procedure following the demand from the community.
On addressing internal bickerings and disgruntlement within the party ahead of election, Rao, also a former minister, said "Things will happen, but we will have to see to that we limit such disturbances..."
Incumbent Siddaramaiah will be the "front-runner" for the Chief Minister's post, he said.
Asserting that there was no anti-incumbency against the Siddaramaiah government, he took a dig at BJP, saying its president Amit Shah is becoming a "star campaigner" for the ruling party.
"Congress is going for election under the leadership of Chief Minister, it has been stated. It is under his leadership entire campaign is being run...he is the face of the election, he is the captain of our team," Mr Rao told PTI.
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Mr Rao, however, did not wish to respond whether Congress' decision not to announce chief ministerial candidate was to avoid any divisions or conflict within the party, with KPCC president G Parameshwara also seen as a serious contender for the top job.
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Mr Rao said he was confident about the Congress performing better than it did during the 2013 assembly polls, when it won 122 out of 224 seats.
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Mr Rao also claimed that there was no anti-incumbency, adding, instead, "there is pro-incumbency."
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"We should see to it that deserving people get the ticket, if we do that correctly, then I think definitely there will be no other problem," he said.
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However, there was nothing of that sort this time, he said.
"We have given a very stable, good government, and have delivered on our promises which has reached the people.
This is a pro-incumbency government, people are preferring us to other parties," he said.
Ruling out "Modi wave", Mr Rao said the "Modi factor or phenomenon is going down, because people are not seeing tangible results."
He pointed out that Modi has not come to Karnataka for the last one-and-half months and has been cancelling his programmes.
"Why is he cancelling? Why is he not coming to Karnataka? Why is only Amit Shah touring? Modi himself is apprehensive I think," Mr Rao said.
Mr Shah's repeated visits to the poll bound state have had no impact, Mr Rao claimed.
"I think Amit Shah is becoming a star campaigner for the Congress, because whatever he is doing is helping us," he said, citing his "gaffes."
He claimed that Mr Shah coming to the state has also suffocated the BJP, as state leaders have "become voiceless",
"The more Amit Shah campaigns for BJP, the better it is for Congress," he said.
Responding to a question on former prime minister Deve Gowda's JDS, Mr Rao said, post election, the party that talked about secular credentials may join hands with the BJP.
He said as both these parties know that they cannot get majority on their own, they have an internal pact to thwart Congress from getting majority.
Asked about joining hands with JDS in case of a hung assembly, as Congress has worked with the party in the past, Rao said "The problem is they (JDS) are not reliable."
"They don't have ideology and philosophy... How can you have any plan based upon them?," he said.
Hitting out at the BJP for calling Congress and Rahul Gandhi "election Hindu," and defending visits to mutts and religious places, Rao said, the opposition is more aggressively doing it.
"Amit Shah is even conducting meetings of swamijis, which is so political," he said.
Claiming that Congress leaders have been to temples in the past also while campaigning, he said "it is an attempt by BJP to target Rahul Gandhi by accusing him of trying to get political mileage....which is not true."
Mr Rao also said the party has nothing to do on the issue of religious minority status to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats and the issue will not make much impact in the polls.
"Lingayat has nothing to do with the poll prospects or politics; Congress party does not have a stand on this, we have not taken any stand," he said.
Terming it is a "community issue", Mr Rao said the chief minister has followed procedure following the demand from the community.
On addressing internal bickerings and disgruntlement within the party ahead of election, Rao, also a former minister, said "Things will happen, but we will have to see to that we limit such disturbances..."
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