Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday took a jibe at the Congress party by saying that “at least it is worshipping something.”

“Suddenly, the Congress party has started praying to everything — whether it is visiting Bajrang Bali temples last week or seeing God in gas cylinders.” “We welcome DK Shivakumar and Congress party offering prayers to LPG cylinders, we are happy that Congress is doing some kind of puja at least. Karnataka which is the land of Bajrang Bali will answer all these things on 13th May,” Surya said.

On May 4, Shivakumar offered prayers to Lord Hanuman in the Chamundeshwari temple in Mysuru and yesterday the Congress state president performed aarti of a gas cylinder.

A video was posted by the Congress Party on its Twitter handle. “Kannadigas! Before you go to cast your vote, don’t forget to perform this ritual. Watch the video,” the Congress tweeted.

Moreover, Congress workers garlanded an LPG gas cylinder and burnt incense sticks near it, in Bengaluru’s Rajarajeshwari Nagar area.

Meanwhile, Surya said, “At polling stations when we see people in their late 80s, early 90s in wheelchairs, coming out in very enthusiastically voting, it reminds us of our own responsiblity. If they can what is stopping us from coming and voting? Please come out and vote in big numbers.”

“I would encourage a lot of young people, especially first-time voters to turn up in large numbers,” the BJP MP said.

The polls would seal the electoral fates of 2,615 candidates across parties in the State.

The highest voter turnout was recorded at 12.47 per cent in Dakshina Kannada till 9 am today.

Voting is being held for 224 assembly constituencies in Karnataka with 2,615 candidates in the fray.

These assembly elections are a critical test for the ruling BJP hoping to beat precedent and return to power and for the Congress looking for electoral revival.

Several key leaders including Union Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai, State Minister K Sudhakar, and Congress state President DK Shivakumar were among early voters.