BENGALURU: A day after Channapatna voted in the bypoll, Congress candidate CP Yogeshwara on Thursday admitted that Waqf Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan’s alleged racist remarks against Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy might have tilted the balance with regard to the impending results, and he predicted a photo finish on November 23 — the day of the counting.
Yogeshwara had locked horns with former PM HD Deve Gowda’s grandson and NDA candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, of the JDS.
“Deve Gowda is a colossal figure, and Vokkaligas hold him and his son Kumarswamy in high esteem. If Zameer’s statement has hurt their sentiments, it might have certainly damaged us (Congress). Let us wait for the results to ascertain the true picture. But do not project as if I have already accepted defeat,” he stated to reporters in Channapatna.
“The relentless struggle of Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy, the most prominent leaders of the JDS, and their determination to win the seat for Nikhil, and their hardwork in the field worked out. But there is no disappointment for me either, as this is an even fight, and whoever wins will do so by a narrow margin,” he added.