Davanagere (Karnataka), April 1 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday, began campaigning in Davanagere after arriving from Bagalkot for the upcoming bypolls in the state for the above two crucial Assembly constituencies.

Responding to Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) claims of the state being bankrupt, the Chief Minister clarified that state’s economy is robust and further expressed confidence that the Congress would secure a decisive victory in both Bagalkote and Davanagere Assembly by-elections, citing the state government’s development works and guarantee schemes.

Speaking to media persons after arriving in Davanagere for campaigning, Siddaramaiah said he had already campaigned in Bagalkot for two days and would now campaign in Davanagere for the next two days.

“We are confident of winning both Assembly seats with a huge margin. In Bagalkot, the by-election was necessitated following the demise of H.Y. Meti. In Davanagere, after the passing of Shamanur Shivashankarappa, his grandson Samarth Mallikarjun has been fielded as the candidate,” he added.

The Chief Minister said the contributions of late leaders and the state government’s welfare initiatives would work in favour of the Congress.

“Our (Karnataka) government’s work, along with the contributions of Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H.Y. Meti in their respective Assembly constituencies, will help us. Our guarantee schemes are also working for the party,” he added.

Alleging misinformation by the BJP, Siddaramaiah asserted that Karnataka’s financial position remains strong and compared favourably with other states.

He also dismissed allegations of voter list manipulation, saying that such concerns have arisen only in recent years.

The Chief Minister said poll campaigning is progressing well, with Congress workers reaching out to voters.

He expressed confidence that the people of the state would support the Congress based on its performance and welfare measures.

“We have won by-elections against former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s son Bharat Bommai in Shiggaon. Yasir Ahmad Khan Pathan was our (Congress) candidate, and I ensured his victory. Similarly, Nikhil Gowda, the son of Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, was defeated by the Congress by a margin of 22,000 votes in Channapatna seat,” Siddaramaiah said.

When asked about former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai saying that voters’ list was manipulated, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said: “When you were defeated, you say this.”

“Only the Centre has the power to manipulate voter lists, as the Election Commission of India comes under it,” he added.

The Chief Minister also said, “Is there any instance of voter list manipulation during the tenure of former Prime Ministers late Jawaharlal Nehru or Indira Gandhi? Such concerns have come to the fore only during the tenure of the BJP. There is no question of manipulation on our (Congress) part.”

He added that poll campaigning is progressing well.

“Our (Congress) candidates are visiting households. We have done good work and are confident that people will vote for us,” he said.

“Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan is currently in Kerala. I have spoken to him. He will remain there until April 4 and will come to Davanagere on April 5. On April 6 and 7, he will go to Bagalkot. He has been deputed to Kerala. I also spoke to Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal regarding this,” Siddaramaiah added.

The Chief Minister also said that the BJP has, in some cases, made Congress leaders the Chief Ministers of several states.

“How did they (BJP) do it? In Assam, where did the current Chief Minister (Himanta Biswa Sarma) come from? There is no need for them to lecture us when leaders like former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and his sons, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and his family, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and his family, and his brother and MLA H.D. Revanna, and his sons are all in politics,” Siddaramaiah added.

–IANS

mka/khz