Bengaluru, March 29: Minutes after the Election Commission announced the date for the Assembly elections, both Congress and BJP indulged in blame game.
While Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai accused the Congress of entering into a secret understanding with the JDS in order to defeat the BJP, Congress leader Siddramaiah turned the tables on the saffron party.
“I have definite information that some Congress and JDS leaders have met in Hyderabad,” Bommai said. But Siddaramaiah refuted this. “The fact is the other way round. There is a tacit understanding between the BJP and JDS to defeat Congress,” the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly told reporters.
Both the leaders, however, asserted that no matter what the other party does, they would get a comfortable majority to form the government.
“We are going to the polls on the basis of our remarkable performance. I am confident that the people will bless us once again because the people want double-engine government to come to power,” Bommai said.
Siddaramaiah also expressed confidence of winning the polls with a comfortable majority. “There is nothing substantial and meaningful for the BJP to boast of its performance. People are fed up of corruption and mal-administration. The common man is waiting for the first available opportunity to throw this government out lock, stock and barrel,” he said.
Bommai said his party’s list will be released from Delhi after the meeting of the Central Parliamentary Board.”The state’s core committee and the state parliamentary board will short-list the candidates, after which it will be discussed and decided in Delhi,” the Chief Minister said.
According to Siddaramaiah, the Congress party has gained head-start in the campaigning by announcing the first list of candidates.
“The remaining names will also be announced shortly after the screening committee meets here in Bangalore. The Central Election Committee will finalise the candidates, as it was done in the first list,” the Leader of the Opposition added.
Both Bommai and Siddaramaiah claimed that their respective party’s public campaign – Vijay Sankalp Yatra and Prajadhwani Yatra – had received tremendous response from the people. “The wave is in favour of the Congress,” said Siddaramaiah while Bommai claimed that the “people want to give BJP a second chance.” EOM.
