Anti-incumbency not for BJP: Bommai

CM optimistic K’taka too will defy it and come back to power in 2023
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai speaks during the Legislative Assembly session at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Friday
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai speaks during the Legislative Assembly session at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Friday

BENGALURU: A day after the BJP’s overwhelming victory in the Assembly elections to four of the five states, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai noted that the anti-incumbency factor, which ruling parties usually face during elections, does not affect the saffron party.

“The BJP is the only one that has the capability of coming back to power again and again, and that was proved again in the poll results of the four states,” he said in the Assembly on Friday. He also expressed confidence that the party will come back to power in Karnataka after the 2023 polls. Supporting Bommai’s statement, his predecessor BS Yediyurappa said the party is confident of winning 140 seats in the next elections, and added the Congress will have to again sit in the opposition.

Siddaramaiah noted that in the four states, the BJP was already in power and it is not a big achievement to come back to power. To this, Bommai replied that due to anti-incumbency, most often, the ruling party loses the polls.

“The BJP is the only party to come back to power, not twice or thrice, but again and again. Being in power and coming back to power is an achievement. In Karnataka too, we will achieve this and we will come back to power in 2023,” he said.

He said that in the last 70 years, people have seen all political parties and they simply accepted whatever a party said. “It is not important what they speak, what is important is who is speaking. The BJP’s work is speaking for itself,” the CM added.

BSY vs Siddaramaiah
The Assembly on Friday witnessed a heated debate between two big guns — former chief ministers B S Yediyurappa and Siddaramaiah — on the recent polls. Speaking on the state budget, Yediyurappa said the revenue deficit is due to Covid, lockdown and economic slowdown. But economic activities are improving. The State Government is borrowing loans just as it had done during Siddaramaiah’s time. “Bommai has presented a good budget and we will go to the people with it. We are sure to win 140 seats and come back to power,” he said.

Pointing at Siddaramaiah, Yediyurappa said the Congress is living in an illusion and they will have to sit in the opposition gallery permanently. During the heated debate, Yediyurappa even asked Siddaramaiah to take the names of national leaders of the Congress. “They seem to have no address,” he said, adding that there is no leadership in the Congress.

On the Karnataka Congress unit, Yediyurappa said the state party leaders should be mentally prepared from now itself. “Congress-mukt Bharat has begun already in India and only in Karnataka, they are breathing to some extent. This will also come to an end after the 2023 polls,” he said.

On his part, Siddaramaiah said the BJP leaders are living in an illusion and asked Yediyurappa whether he is living in a dream of becoming the CM again, and added that it will not happen. The BJP leader retorted saying, “I have not said that I will become CM again. I have already served as CM. The coming polls will be fought under Bommai’s leadership.”

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