'Defeat Of Arrogance': Mamata Banerjee Slams BJP, Predicts Saffron Rout In MP And Rajasthan

Following the state electorate's rejection of the current BJP-led government in the Karnataka State Assembly Elections 2023 and in the wake of Congress' overwhelming victory, opposition leaders slam BJP.

Karnataka Election Results: BJP suffered a crushing defeat in the state.

New Delhi: The Congress secured a comfortable majority in the Karnataka assembly elections. The Congress is all set to win over 130 seats while the BJP was restricted below 70 seats. The victory comes as a significant boost for the Congress before the Lok Sabha elections next year. This election is the first of five significant state elections that will take place this year and is expected to set the tone for the parliamentary elections as well. With the BJP losing a key battle in Karnataka, opposition leaders came out praising the people of Karnataka and lambasting the saffron party for pursuing 'divisive politics'. 

Reacting to Congress victory, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that it's a defeat of 'brute authoritarian and majoritarian politics'. "My salutations to the people of Karnataka for their decisive mandate in favour of change!! Brute authoritarian and majoritarian politics is vanquished!! When people want plurality and democratic forces to win, no central design to dominate can repress their spontaneity : that is the moral of the story, lesson for tomorrow," she said. Banerjee further said that only Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat is fully with the BJP and it will be hard for the BJP to get majority in the Lok Sabha polls and added that the BJP may not win even 100 seats in the parliamentary polls.

"Earlier it was the BJP's peal time when they got over 300 seats. Now, they won't cross 100 seats," added Banerjee. The West Bengal Chief Minister further said that the BJP will find it hard to win seats in many states like Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab, Bengal and Odisha.

My salutations to the people of Karnataka for their decisive mandate in favour of change!! Brute authoritarian and majoritarian politics is vanquished!! When people want plurality and democratic forces to win, no central design to dominate can repress their spontaneity : that is… — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 13, 2023

Banerjee further said that the Karnataka election results are defeat of arrogance and predicted BJP's rout in other poll-bound states as well. "I salute the people of Karnataka, all the voters. I also salute the winners for their victory. Even Kumaraswamy did well. Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh elections are coming, and I think BJP will lose both elections. This is the beginning of the end of 2024," said Banerjee. She further said that she will support Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh to help fight the BJP and atrocities done by the Yogi government.

The triumph is likely to mark the revial of troubled Congress which has witnessed a spat of losses in state elections over the last nine years. National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah said there is 'no way' the BJP will have the courage to 'allow' assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir after its performance in the Karnataka polls. "Now there is no way BJP will have the courage to allow assembly elections to take place in Jammu and Kashmir any time soon #KarnatakaElectionResults," Abdullah, the vice president of the NC, said in a tweet.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said, "Once again the Congress party is going to form its government in Karnataka. BJP stands wiped out from southern India."

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hailed the party's performance in the Karnataka assembly polls. He said that 'nafrat ka bazaar' has been closed and 'mohabbat ki dukaanein' have opened in the state. "I am happy we contested the Karnataka polls without using hate, bad language. We fought the polls with love. In Karnataka, 'nafrat ka bazaar (market of hate)' has closed down', 'mohabbat ki dukaanein' (shops of love) have opened," said Rahul Gandhi.

Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah said, "This mandate is against Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and JP Nadda. PM Modi visited Karnataka twenty times. No prime minister has ever run for office in such a manner before."

This is a victory for a secular party!!

People of Karnataka wanted a stable government that delivers as promised, and hence have given the mandate for Congress!! — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 13, 2023

Meanwhile, reacting to BJP's performance, Congress leader BK Hariprasad says, "Who is Shah to assert that Karnataka won't receive favours if it doesn't vote for Modi? Modi, a god? Nadda claims that if you don't support the BJP, no federal programmes will be made available to the state. Third-highest taxpayer in the nation is Karnataka; we are neither UP nor Bihar.

Who is Shah to say that if Karnataka doesn't vote for Modi the state won't get blessings?Is Modi a god?Nadda says if you don't vote for BJP,then no Central schemes will be extended to the state. Karnataka 3rd highest tax payer in country...we're not UP or Bihar:BK Hariprasad,Cong pic.twitter.com/r82R3xzS9d — ANI (@ANI) May 13, 2023

The head of the Congress, Mallikarjun Kharge, says: "I thank the people of Karnataka for giving the Congress a large mandate. Their faith in us will be upheld by us. All of the welfare programmes that we promised to undertake in our platform will be carried out. I give thanks to Sonia, Priyanka, and Rahul Gandhi for their campaigning for us despite being ill.

This is truly the victory of the People of Karnataka.

They have voted for their progressive future, their welfare & social justice.

With folded hands, we thank them for putting their trust in us.

Congress party shall implement the 5 guarantees.

Jai Karnataka! Jai Hind! — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) May 13, 2023

Akhilesh Yadav, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, claimed on Saturday that the Karnataka assembly election trends that predict a victory for the Congress signal the "beginning" of the "end" of the BJP's divisive, communal, and corrupt tactics.

In a tweet written in Hindi, Yadav stated: "The message from Karnataka is that the 'antkaal (end)' of the BJP's negative, communal, corrupt, pro-rich, anti-women, anti-youth, socially divisive, propaganda, individual-centric politics has begun." "This is a strict mandate of a new positive India against inflation, unemployment, corruption, and animosity," he continued.

कर्नाटक का संदेश ये है कि भाजपा की नकारात्मक, सांप्रदायिक, भ्रष्टाचारी, अमीरोन्मुखी, महिला-युवा विरोधी, सामाजिक-बँटवारे, झूठे प्रचारवाली, व्यक्तिवादी राजनीति का ‘अंतकाल’ शुरू हो गया है।

ये नये सकारात्मक भारत का महंगाई, बेरोज़गारी, भ्रष्टाचार व वैमनस्य के ख़िलाफ़ सख़्त जनादेश… — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 13, 2023

Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, responded to the trends in the assembly election results that showed the Congress advancing to victory by declaring that Karnataka had chosen the politics of development above communal politics.

श्री राहुल गांधी की भारत जोड़ो यात्रा के दौरान कर्नाटक में जो माहौल दिखा था आज उसी का नतीजा कर्नाटक के चुनाव परिणाम में स्पष्ट दिख रहा है। यूपीए चेयरपर्सन श्रीमती सोनिया गांधी, कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष श्री मल्लिकार्जुन खड़गे, श्री राहुल गांधी एवं श्रीमती प्रियंका गांधी के नेतृत्व में…  Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) May 13, 2023

The Chhattisgarh chief minister, Bhupesh Baghel, responded to the Congress' dominant showing in the Karnataka Assembly elections by saying, "They spoke about a 'Congress-Mukt Bharat' but now, entire South India has become 'BJP Mukt'.