"Need New Blood, New Thinking": B Bommai To NDTV After Karnataka Loss

Karnataka's outgoing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who led the party's campaign in the recently concluded assembly elections, told NDTV today that the Congress started its campaigning early and the BJP messaging went awry in the state.

The BJP, which was ruling the state, won 66 of the 224 assembly seats. The Congress won 135 and HD Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular 19 seats.

Asked what were the lessons drawn from the results, Mr Bommai listed three reasons for the Congress victory. The people, he said, were "swayed by freebies".

Then, "Personally I feel that the Congress was more organised and started earlier, which otherwise BJP used to do... We took our decisions a little late, acted late," he told NDTV in the exclusive interview.

Finally, though the BJP government conducted a lot of programmes, the "right messaging did not go to the people... (the government's) major decisions did not reach the people," he added.

Pointing out that the BJP's vote share did not change, he said that the party's penetration into southern Karnataka, which is a stronghold of the JD(S), has also helped the Congress. "Five per cent of the JD(S) votes shifted to the Congress," he said.

The BJP had maintained its 36 per cent vote share from 2018, but the Congress vote share went up from 38.1 per cent to 42.9 per cent. The JD(S) votes slid from 18.3 to 13.3 per cent.

Looking forward, Mr Bommai said it would take a few months for the situation to improve in the BJP camp.

"I take the entire blame. A leader has to take blame. Only then only things can move forward... The major thing is that we have to prepare the party quite early for the Lok Sabha election. We have to bring in new blood, and new thinking at all levels. We have to rejuvenate our workers. Within three to six months, things will change and help us," he said.

Karnataka sends 28 MPs to the Lok Sabha, making it a major battleground state.

Asked about the post of the leader of the Opposition, Mr Bommai, who will be one of the most senior MLAs from the BJP in the house, remained non-committal, saying he would bolster the party campaign whether he has the post or not.

"As a responsible man, I don't go by the post... whether the Leader of the Opposition is given to me. The overall responsibility is on me... I have been the Chief Minister for two years and have given so many good programmes. It is for me to take it up once again to the people," he said.