New Delhi: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said that Congress will win at least 20 out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state in the upcoming general elections. The Congress leader also claimed that the JDS-BJP alliance is "not working well" in the state.


In the 2019 general elections, the BJP-led NDA won 26 out of the 28 seats in Karnataka, while the Congress and JD(S) alliance managed to secure just one seat each. However, the Congress, under the leadership of DKS, made significant gains in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly polls, winning 135 out of the 224 seats.


In an interview with ANI, Shivakumar emphasized the collective effort within the Congress party and expressed optimism about their prospects in the upcoming elections. 


"See, we work collectively. In the last three years, I have had the opportunity to be president. Now it is the fourth year. So, all of them cooperated. I believe in the collective leadership that we showed. Whatever we had, we still thought the party had to come to power," the Congress leader said.


He further told ANI, "Now, as far as Parliament (elections) are concerned, we are still hoping... We wanted a lot of our ministers to contest. But all of them wanted to stay in state politics. Now, I am still hoping that we will get nearly 20 seats."


Responding to queries about an apparent 'Modi wave' and the reluctance of Karnataka Congress ministers to fight parliament elections, DKS said, "It is not like that. As far as Karnataka is concerned, any wave will not work. The Bharatiya Janata Party is crumbling. You know how many MPs--almost 10 MPs--could not get tickets. There was a lot of anti-incumbency."


The veteran Congress leader claimed that the BJP is in "very bad shape" in Karnataka. "They (the BJP) have changed and shifted the MPs and ministers. So, I think, compared to other parts of the country, the BJP is in very bad shape in Karnataka," stated Shivakumar.


Reiterating his confidence in the people's mandate for the Congress party, Shivakumar said, "I am confident that with the way we look at local issues, we look at the local problems, When we do hard work, we have to look at the people's wishes, the problem of the people. Then they should have confidence on us. That is why they vote us. Otherwise, it will not happen."


Voting for Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka will take place in two phases on April 26 and May 7. The results will be announced on June 4.