NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hailed the party's performance in the Karnataka assembly polls, saying "nafrat ka bazaar" has closed down and "mohabbat ki dukaanein" have opened in the state.
The Congress has won 55 of the 224 assembly seats in Karnataka so far and is leading in 80, while the BJP has won 22 and is ahead in 43, according to the latest trends on the Election Commission website.
The Janata Dal (Secular) has bagged 10 seats so far and is leading in 10.
"I thank and congratulate the people of Karnataka, party workers and leaders," Gandhi said at a press conference here.
"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," he said.
In the Karnataka polls, on one side there was the power of crony capitalists and on the other, there was the strength of poor people, Gandhi said.
The strength of the poor has defeated the power of crony capitalists and this will happen in all states, he said.