Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday accepted BJP’s defeat in the state Assembly polls as trends showed the Congress was maintaining an unassailable lead with 134 seats going its way, while the ruling BJP was trailing with 66 seats and the Janata Dal (S) managing leads in 22 seats.

Speaking to newspersons at 12.20 pm, the chief minister said, “We have not been able to make the mark. The Congress is able to make the mark. We will do a detailed analysis. As a national political party, we will analyse and see what the gaps are and improve upon it. We will take this result in our stride, and we will re-organise the party for the 2024 elections.”

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Former chief minister Siddaramaiah said the Congress can cross 130 seats. And that the results were on expected lines. “Our assessment has come true. It is a big victory for the Congress. People of Karnataka wanted change because they were fed up with the BJP. There was strong anti-incumbency against the BJP,” he said, adding, “Tomorrow we will try to have a CLP meeting. We will think over it. The meeting is called. All of the winning candidates may not be able to come.”

The congress leader recalled that in 2008 or 2018, there was no mandate for the BJP. They spent lot of money on Operation Lotus each time and MLAs defected from the JD (S), etc., and many of them were taught a lesson in this election. “People of Karnataka are mature and know which party would save the state because there was a threat by the BJP to the secular fabric of the country. There was hate politics and communal politics.”

A strong contender for the chief minister’s post, Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP tried to win this election by money, they could not succeed. He credited party leaders, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanaka Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge, who campaigned aggressively, for the resounding victory. He said the padyatra also helped and enthused the workers and the cadres.

The former chief minister further said, “This is a crucial election. The result will be a stepping stone for the Lok Sabha election. I hope all non-BJP parties come together and see that the BJP is defeated. I also hope Rahul becomes PM. This is a mandate against Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and J P Nadda. No PM has campaigned like this.”

He said a lot of Lingayats and Vokaligas voted for the Congress, it is a secular party and got votes of all communities. In the BJP, not a single Muslim or Christian got ticket. Major promises by Modi were not fulfilled. He asserted that his party is not afraid of BJP’s Operation Kamal. “I knew the Congress would get more than 130 seats. This is going to happen. I thank Kharge, all Congress leaders for their campaigns, and all general secretaries Venugopal and Surjewala for their campaigns.”

Congress leader and another contender for the chief minister’s position, D K Shivkumar, told newspersons, “We were always confident that we would have victory, I am talking of our confidence and not Exit polls.”

Calling on all Congress workers to remain calm, he said, “We will decide the course of action at the party office. It is collective leadership. Thinking together is progress, working together is success.”

Assuring Congress senior leaders, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge, that “I will deliver Karnataka to their expectations,” Shivkumar burst into tears and recalled how “Mrs Sonia Gandhi came to meet me in the jail.”

He acknowledged the contribution of all office-bearers and general secretaries to the Congress campaign and attributed the victory to their hard work. He said he would give more reaction later in the day at the Bharat Jodo Bhavan. “The Congress party as a whole contributed to the win of the party, ” he said. I thank party cadres for their collective work,” he concluded.

By 12.30 pm, it was clear that the Congress had secured 42.94 per cent vote share, the BJP 36.1 per cent, and the Janata Dal (S) secured 13.15 per cent. Analysts said the Congress vote share had increased at the cost of the JD (S).

Minutes before the counting at 8 am, both parties were confident of victory. The Congress said the BJP talk showed it was frustrated. Despite the plus point of campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP’s state government of over three years was suffering from anti-incumbency. .

Former chief minister and Janata Dal leader H D Kumaraswamy, before the counting was to start, said the Exit polls had already declared the two national parties would secure a majority of the seats and the JD (S) would end up with the third place. He said his party was small, no doubt. The party was, however, expecting to get 40 seats in the 224 seat-Assembly and play a decisive role in case of a hung Assembly.

Congress has already spoken to Independents. Son of Congress president Malliharjun Kharge, Priyank Kharge, was anticipating that the party will cross the half-way mark.