By-poll results befitting reply to Opposition charges: CM

Dy.CM says results signal the direction for 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah described the by-polls in three Assembly segments as a battle between the truth of the ruling Congress and the lies of the Opposition BJP-JD(S) alliance, asserting that the people have rejected the false campaign waged by the Opposition.

Reacting to the Congress’s decisive victories in the by-polls for Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur, Siddaramaiah criticised the Opposition for its baseless and malicious attacks against the Congress, claiming the party had resorted to continuous smear campaigns. However, the Chief Minister praised wisdom of the people, who saw through the Opposition’s tactics and ensured the success of Congress  candidates.

Siddaramaiah, emphasising his close connection with the people, stated that he was not isolated in an ivory tower. He credited the Congress victory to the work the party had accomplished since coming to power last year, highlighting that the people’s vote was a recognition of this progress. He alleged that the Opposition had targeted him and his family without pause. Siddaramaiah further claimed that the people had rejected the BJP’s communal agenda.

Indicator for 2028: D.K. Shivakumar

Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who also serves as the KPCC President, stated that the by-poll results signal the direction for the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections.

Emphasising that the people voted for the Congress guarantee schemes, Shivakumar declared that the mandate was clear: Livelihood matters more than the emotional rhetoric the Opposition had used.

Shivakumar refrained from labelling Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s loss in Channapatna as a personal defeat, instead pointing to the rejection of JD(S) by the voters. He attributed this to the disillusionment with Nikhil’s father, H.D. Kumaraswamy, who had left the Channapatna Constituency residents stranded after his 2023 election victory.

Confident in the Congress’s success across all three segments, Shivakumar shared that he had assessed the voting trends after Nov.13 and was optimistic about the outcome. He took a swipe at the BJP for its false claims regarding Congress’s poll guarantees and the allegations of                                                       scams levied against the party by the Opposition.