Outgoing Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar insisted the Congress’s victory in the Assembly elections was mainly due to the negative vote of the electorate for the Bharatiya Janata Party, rather than a positive mandate in favour of the Congress.
Without mentioning the name of former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, the disappointed Mr. Shettar told presspersons after the announcement of results that the people were angry with his party mainly due to infighting during the earlier years of the formation of the government. Excerpts from his media interaction:
Q: Are the results on expected lines?
A: No. We expected to do much better.
What is the reason for this humiliating defeat?
It is mainly due to the negative vote of the electorate prompted by the internal troubles and political instability in the party, besides corruption scams in the beginning of formation of the government. Those who caused the problem have left us. But we had to face the wrath of the people. The development works undertaken by us was overshadowed by the propaganda about our internal problems.
What next for the BJP?
We will work as a strong and constructive Opposition party and take up pro-people struggles.
Who will take moral responsibility for the loss?
It is a collective responsibility of the entire party. We will not blame any single individual for it.
Will the impact of the Assembly elections have a bearing on the prospects of the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections?
It will not have any impact as the issues for the Lok Sabha are totally different from that of the Assembly.
