Out victory in by-polls exceeded our expectations: Yediyurappa

Bengaluru: Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa on Tuesday said the BJP achieved victory in Sindagi Assembly by-poll exceeded the expectations of the party. "We have won by more than 30,000 votes in Sindagi," said Yeddyurappa and expressed his gratitude to the people of the constituency.

Speaking to media persons, the former CM said there was much anticipation in Hanagal. "Don't know why we faced a setback. There is no need for Siddaramaiah to feel proud of the results. It's no indicator to the outcome of the coming Assembly elections in the State."

"The is no test of the leadership of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. We have faced elections under collective leadership. We share the victory/defeat equally. We all will strengthen the party in the coming days. We will sit down and discuss why there was a setback in Hanagal."

On the other hand, a euphoric Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar said that the BJP government in the State lost the confidence of the voters and the Congress will win the 2023 Assembly elections.

"Previously, we were in third position in Sindagi electoral polls. Now, we have come in second place and got more votes than earlier. Even after losing in Sindagi, we are not worried. But we have won in Hanagal, the BJP stranglehold. People want change in the State. That can be witnessed from the results of both the constituencies," Shivakumar explained.

The Chief Minister, his son-in-law, and the entire cabinet were in Hanagal, but they did not win. The people voted for the Congress. Shivakumar said this was proof that the voters lost confidence in the BJP. Reacting to the results in the by-elections, former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said that the allegation made by the Congress leaders that JD(S) was the BJP's B-Team proved wrong. Speaking to the media on Tuesday in Bidadi, he said, "The Congress leaders alleged that in both the seats, our party contested to ensure the BJP candidates' win. Now, they have got the answer with the votes they have got in Hanagal and Sindagi."

"At the insistence of local leaders, the JDS fielded the ecandidates in both the constituencies. I am not putting too much value on the by-election result. Our focus is on the 2023 election," Kumarswamy said. "Our party has contributed a lot to the Sindagi constituency. During the campaign I visited more than fifty villages. The response of the people was excellent because of the irrigation projects that Deve Gowda gave as Prime Minister and me as Chief Minister. People in every village talked about our schemes and loan waivers given when I was CM. The people themselves came to me and talked about this. Even after all this, the kind of result that came upset me." The Congress after the death of former minister MC Mangoli hijacked his son Ashok Mangoli. Our organization was also undermined. I knew this. Identifying party workers in booths was another big challenge. This was the reason we suffered a setback. I am not worried by by-election results, said Kumaraswamy. "We didn't have a stand in Hanagal. But in Sindagi, we had our own MLA. The Congress did not get second place in any election. There was always a competition between the JDS and the BJP here," he said.

"By-election is different compared to general election. We have turned our focus on the 2023 polls and we are stregthning our party. So we are training our party workers," Kumaraswamy said.

He added, "Everyone knows that money plays a big role in by-elections. The entire media reported that money was distributed in both Hanagal and Sindagi. This is the reason why both the BJP and Congress are in power."