'Cong will win over 140 seats,' Shivakumar quotes party survey

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar on Tuesday claimed that his party would win 140 seats in the upcoming Assembly election, according to an internal survey.

Shivakumar was speaking after inducting former lawmakers G N Nanjundaswamy (Kollegal), Manohar Ainapur (erstwhile Balloli) and ex-Mysuru Mayor K Purushottam into the Congress.

“People are in favour of Congress in the state. Our earlier survey showed 136 seats. Now, the latest survey says we will win more than 140 seats,” Shivakumar said.

Shivakumar also claimed that sitting MLAs from BJP and JD(S) would join the Congress in the coming days. “We are preparing a list of sitting MLAs,” he said. “We have authorised district units to induct leaders. Some prominent leaders will be inducted in our presence at the party headquarters,” he added.

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Targeting the BJP government, Shivakumar caustically thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for promising a corruption-free government. “This means there is rampant corruption now. Amit Shah has spoken the truth. I thank him,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah accused the BJP government of shielding Channagiri MLA Madal Virupakshappa, who faces a corruption case.

“The state government is giving him protection. He must be arrested immediately,” Siddaramaiah demanded. “If Rs 8 crore was found in the house of one MLA’s son, imagine the kind of loot that must have taken place. This proves beyond doubt that there is a 40 per cent commission government,” he said, asking Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai if he needed more proof. “If Bommai has any morality, he must resign.”

Nanjundaswamy was with the Congress when he won from Kollegal in 1999. He later joined BJP and lost against BSP’s N Mahesh in 2018. Mahesh is now with the BJP. Even Ainapur was with Congress when he won from the Ballolli segment in 1989. He later joined the BJP.

"Will quit if we don’t give free power"

Shivakumar said he and his party colleagues would quit politics if the party failed to give 200 units of free power to all households if voted to power. “CM Bommai has said our poll promise is bogus. I’m ready for a public debate with him. I was energy minister for four years during which Karnataka’s power capacity went up from 10,000 MW to 20,000 MW. We gave solar power in 120 taluks and reduced transmission losses from 21 per cent to 14 per cent, which was hailed as the ‘Karnataka model’,” he claimed.