Siddaramaiah confident of Congress victory

'He (Yeddyurappa) is mentally disturbed. BJP can’t get more than 60-65 seats', says Karnataka CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his son Yathindra after casting their votes at Suddaramana Hundi polling centre in Mysuru.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Saturday, claimed that voting has been in favour of the Congress party during the polling across the State.

Speaking to reporters after casting his vote at his village Siddaramanahundi near Mysuru, Mr. Siddaramaiah claimed that the Congress will secure a majority and form the government.

He came down heavily on the raids by the Income Tax (I-T) Department that took place against “Congress leaders and their well-wishers” across the state ahead of the elections.

Describing the I-T raids as an outcome of desperation by the BJP leaders, the chief minister said the party will raise the issue with Election Commission and in the Parliament after the polls. Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP’s national president Amit Shah of misusing their power to engineer the I-T raids against Congress leaders in Karnataka, he questioned the timing of the I-T raids, barely 72 hours before the polls.

He criticized the Election Commission’s decision to postpone elections to Rajarajeshwarinagar Assembly constituency after over 9,000 voter identity cards were found in an apartment in Jalahalli in Bengaluru. Contending that elections had been put off for a “silly reason”, he sought to know what evidence the Election Commission had to prove that voters in that constituency had been influenced.

He also dismissed Mr. Shah’s threat of ordering a probe into the irregularities that had reportedly taken place during the Congress rule in the State. “Amit Shah is himself a man, who has gone to jail”, Mr Siddaramaiah said.

Will win

Mr. Siddaramaiah also expressed confidence of winning Chamundeshwari Assembly elections by a margin of more than 10,000 votes.

The BJP, he said, is openly supporting the JD(S) in the elections and in view of the “understanding between the two parties”, the BJP has fielded a weak candidate, who could not even win the gram panchayat elections. “I will win with a big majority,” he said.

He claimed that he will win from Badami as well. In Varuna, where his son Yathindra is contesting, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the party will win by more than 20,000 votes.