Bengaluru, Oct 28 Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said the Congress would respectfully accept the people’s verdict in the Legislative Council elections for four seats, acknowledging that the party fell short of its expectations and would undertake a detailed review of the results.
The Congress expected to win two seats, but that did not materialise, he said, adding that the party would analyse the message given by the people and take corrective measures.
In a setback to the Congress in Karnataka, the party lost all four seats in the Legislative Council elections, with the opposition JD(S) wresting one segment from the ruling party and its ally BJP retaining three.
The JD(S) wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency from Congress. The BJP registered victories in the North-East Teachers’, South-East Graduates’ and West Graduates’ constituencies, defeating the Congress candidates.
“The voters have given us a message. We will examine it thoroughly, study where things went wrong and take steps to correct them,” Shivakumar told reporters here.
He said he was satisfied with the votes secured by the party, though the loss of the Bengaluru seat had come as a surprise.
“I was not expecting the Bengaluru seat to slip away. We will review what happened there,” he said.
The chief minister also took a swipe at the BJP and the JD(S), which have described the results as a precursor to future electoral outcomes.
“The BJP and JD(S) are saying these results are a precursor (to future elections). But what answer will they give for Channapatna and Shiggaon (assembly bypoll results where Congress won)? Are those not a precursor as well? That should also be kept in mind,” he said.
Shivakumar said the Congress would draw lessons from the outcome and work to strengthen its organisation and prepare its workers for future electoral battles.
“We have things to learn from these results. We will review them and know how to prepare our workers. I will take up that responsibility,” he said.
On the use of ballot papers for elections, Shivakumar said, “Of course we need ballot papers. There are a lot of issues. After November 1, my party will come back with a new action plan.”
He was responding to a query about BJP’s criticism of the Congress, which had been demanding ballot papers in elections, citing issues with the EVMs following its electoral losses, while pointing out that MLC polls were held with ballot papers.
On the proposed meeting with legislators from different communities, Shivakumar said the discussions would focus on community-specific concerns, certain court judgements and problems faced by backward classes. “We will sit together and discuss them,” he said.
Responding to a question about delays in payments of drought relief to farmers, the CM said the process was under way, and the government was checking the accounts to ensure that the amount was credited.
“The payments are being made. We are checking all the accounts to ensure that everything tallies correctly. I have already issued the necessary government orders, and the funds have been released,” he said.
He also said he had sought time to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss central assistance for drought relief.
Shivakumar said the prime minister had indicated that he would visit Bengaluru on November 15 for the Metro-related programme and he would seek an appointment during the visit.
“If a meeting could not be arranged (in Delhi), I would request time for an all-party delegation to meet the PM during the visit here and present the state’s concerns,” he said.
Asked about the final electoral roll for Karnataka published by the Election Commission, Shivakumar said there were objections in certain cases and that opportunities had been provided to raise them.
He referred to Form 7, used for objections to or deletion of names from electoral rolls, and said there had been instances in which the concerns raised by the government had been acknowledged.
(PTI News)
