With a day left for polling in Karnataka, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a video message appealed to people to vote responsibly and said that the dream of every Kannadiga is his dream. He said, "The dream of every Kannadiga is my own dream. Your resolution is my resolution. We want Karnataka to be number one in investment, industries, education and employment. For making Karnataka number one, I request you all to cast your vote as responsible citizens."
Modi also issued an open letter to the people of the state ahead of the elections.
The letter reads, "In our 'Azaadi ka Amrit Kaal', we Indians have aimed to make our beloved country a developed nation. Karnataka is keen to lead the movement to realise its vision."
"India is the fifth-largest economy. Our next aim is to reach the top three. This is possible only when Karnataka rapidly grows to become a $1 trillion economy," the letter stated.
Highlighting his party's commitment to Karnataka, PM Modi wrote, "During the COVID-19 pandemic, Karnataka received over ₹ 90,000 crore annually as foreign investment under the BJP government. It was just around ₹ 30,000 crore under the previous government. We want to make Karnataka No.1 in investment, industry and innovation. We want to make Karnataka No.1 in education, employment and entrepreneurship."
The Karnataka election campaign came to an end on Monday (May 8). Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Former Congress General Secretary Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi have all campaigned in the poll-bound state.
Apart from national political leaders, Karnataka saw campaigning from various state chief ministers such as Assam's Himanta Biswa Sarma, Uttar Pradesh's Yogi Adityanath, and Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Karnataka goes to polls on May 10. The counting of votes will take place on May 13.