Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said on Saturday that the BJP is losing leaders to other parties. This indicates that there is more discontent within the BJP, he added. When asked if the Karnataka unit of the grand old party is united, he said, "There is no doubt that it is not," and then followed up with a question: "Have you seen any dissidents after announcing the tickets, like BJP?" He also shed light on the source of this discontent, stating that people are fed up with the BJP government's efforts to encourage corruption over the last five years.
"They were taking 40% commission openly, which was proved by the contractors themselves. I think that this is enough, they need not get defence from others. So, corruption, lack of infrastructure, and division among caste and reserved categories - are doing mischief. But people are united, they want Congress to come to power": the Congress chief was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The exit of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar has certainly roiled the BJP camp, and national president JP Nadda, who arrived in Hubballi on Tuesday, made it a point to emphasise the importance of the party mitigating the Shettar effect in its stronghold.
Earlier in the day, the Congress party claimed that Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai's office is summoning returning officers from various districts to find flaws in its candidates' applications and correct errors in those of BJP nominees running in the May 10 Assembly election.
D K Shivakumar, chief of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), demanded that the Election Commission investigate the matter and summon the call details of the CMO to ascertain the truth.
As polling day approaches, the opposition Congress is locked in a power struggle with the ruling BJP in Karnataka, with the JD(S) also playing a role.
Karnataka will vote in a single round on May 10, with the results announced on May 13.