BJP an ever-ready party, will get majority: Bommai on K'taka polls

BENGALURU : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday exuded confidence in winning the state Assembly polls slated to take place on May 10 and said that the BJP is an "ever-ready party" which is prepared for the elections.

The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Karnataka Assembly polls today. Chief Election Commissioner said that the polling will take place on May 10 and the counting of votes will be done on May 13.

Speaking to the reporters after the announcement of dates, Bommai said that the party will return to power on the basis of the work it has done for the public.

"The ECI has declared the election dates. Election Commission has announced the dates. Polls will take place on 10th May & results will be announced on 13th May. BJP is an ever-ready party with strong organisation and we are prepared for the polls. We have done a lot of Abhiyan (campaigns) where the response of the people was tremendous. The double-engine government has done a good job in terms of infrastructure and others. People cutting across all sections have shown a great deal of support. I am sure that on May 13, BJP will get an absolute majority," he said.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that the BJP is ready for the elections.

"DK Shivakumar (Karnataka Congress President) is following big Congress leaders when it comes to corruption. BJP is ready for Karnataka elections and BJP will form a government with absolute majority once again in the state," he said.

Meanwhile, Congress also exuded confidence that the party will win the polls.

Priyank Kharge, Chittapur MLA, said that party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi want the party to secure 150 seats from the state.

"We are winning this election. The people of Karnataka are fed up with the 40 per cent government, BJP playing the caste politics, and unemployment is at its highest. This time it is going to be Congress all the way. Kharge ji and Rahul ji want 150 seats delivered from Karnataka. The chief minister will be decided by the party high command later," he said.

BK Hariprasad, Congress leader and LoP Karnataka Legislative Council hit out at the BJP and dubbed it as the "mother of corruption" in the country.

"We're ahead of BJP in the state as we started our election campaign exercise 3 years ago after DK Shivakumar took over as the party's state president. The exercise to select election candidates has been underway for the past 6 months. The party's screening committee will finalise everything soon," he said.

"BJP is the mother of corruption in the country. It does not believe in development programs but in the purchasing of MLAs," Hariprasad added.