The Karnataka assembly elections results, which were announced on Saturday, saw Congress win an out-and-out victory by securing 136 out of 224 seats, reducing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a poor second with just 65 seats. This victory has pushed BJP out of power in the only southern state it ruled, and has boosted Congress's own prospects for the electoral battles ahead.
Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut attacks BJP
Reacting to the election results, Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut said that "Karnataka has shown that people can defeat dictatorship. Congress won which means Bajrang Bali is with Congress and not BJP. Our Home Minister (Amit Shah) was saying that if BJP loses, there will be riots. Karnataka is calm and happy. Where are the riots?"
Raut's comments appear to suggest that BJP's defeat in Karnataka has been peaceful, contrary to Amit Shah's predictions of riots if BJP lost.
Raut talked about the preparations for 2024 general elections
Further, Raut added that "the Modi wave is over and now our wave is coming across the country. Our preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has started and today a meeting has been called under the chairmanship of Sharad Pawar, we will discuss about the 2024 elections in this meeting and start preparing for it."
Raut's statement indicates that the opposition parties are already gearing up for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with Sharad Pawar being appointed as the chairman of the meeting to discuss the same.
Tough task for Congress in choosing a chief minister in Karnataka
However, the Congress still faces a tough task in choosing a chief minister for Karnataka. There are two strong contenders for the post — former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief DK Shivakumar — and the party's high command has called for a meeting of all the winning candidates on Sunday to decide on who will be the legislative party leader. The final decision, however, will probably be left to the party high command.
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