Assam Chief Minister and senior BJP leader, Himanta Biswa Sarma, stated on Saturday that Congress' victory in the Karnataka assembly polls will not impact BJP's chances of returning to power for the third successive term at the Centre in 2024. 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 not affect the party's future at the Centre.
Congress has won in all the 22 constituencies where party leader Rahul Gandhi had addressed meetings during his 'Bharat Jodo' programme, as per Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhupen Borah. He also said that the BJP has lost in all constituencies where Sarma had campaigned. Members of 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 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 Congress headquarters in Guwahati erupted in celebration as news of the party's win poured in and party workers burst crackers and distributed sweets.
However, a scuffle broke out with 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.
Assam Pradesh Congress President Bhupen Borah expressed happiness at the Karnataka poll outcome and said that "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".
