130, 140, 150: Numbers Fly High As Both BJP And Congress Claim They Are Winning Karnataka

Karnataka Assembly Elections: The leaders of both BJP and Congress are quoting numbers as high as 130, 140 and 150 as they claim to sweep the state.

Karnataka Elections 2023: With polling underway in Karnataka to elect the 224-member Legislative Assembly, a cold war is fairly visible among the leaders of political parties as they arrive to exercise their franchise. The leaders of both BJP and Congress are quoting numbers as high as 130, 140 and 150 (seats) as both claim they will sweep the state. Although the real numbers will be out on May 13, the parties are not refraining from making massive claims regarding the Karnataka election results.

Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah said as he cast his vote, "I've been constantly saying that Congress will get 130 plus seats, it may go up to 150 seats also."

Making a similar statement, Karnataka Congress working president Ramalinga Reddy said that his party will get a clear majority with more than 125 seats. Reddy also said that there are 2-3 people for the Chief Minister's post but the party high command and MLAs will decide on it.

Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge also exuded confidence in winning the polls and said, "...Congress party will win the election with a thumping majority...We will get more than 130-135 seats."  While DK Shivakumar said that he is 200 percent confident Congress will emerge victorious on at least 141 seats.

"We will win an absolute majority..," says Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar

On the other hand, BJP is also not far behind in quoting the winning numbers. Former Karnataka CM and senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday said that he was sure over 75-80 percent people will back the Bharatiya Janta Party in the elections. He said, "We will win 130-135 seats."

Whereas CM Basavaraj Bommai's wife said her husband will win the election by a margin of over 50,000 votes, adding "BJP is winning the election and will get more than 150 seats."

Senior Karnataka BJP leader KS Eshwarappa, meanwhile, said, "Nationalist Muslims, nationalist Christians and Hinudutvawadis are all voting for BJP. We will get more than 140 seats in Karnataka."

Yediyurappa's son and BJP candidate BY Vijayendra also said that his party will win at least 130 seats in the results scheduled to be out on May 13.

Meanwhile, Yediyurappa interacted with the media after casting his vote. He said, "BY Vijayendra is going to get more than 40,000 votes here. We will get the absolute majority and will form the government, there is no doubt about it. People's response is very good." 

CM Basavaraj Bommai expressed joy over the way BJP campaigned for the polls. 

"I am very happy with the way our party conducted the campaign and the way people have reacted. I appeal to people to come and vote for the development of Karnataka," CM Bommai said. 

Union FM Nirmala Sitharaman hit out at the opposition after casting her vote. She said, "...On inflation, I am with the public that yes, there should not be a burden on them but the Opposition has no right (to speak on it). They should look at their own tenure..."