The counting of votes from Karnataka began today in the morning at 8:30 am. The Bharatiya Janata Party maintained a steady lead in the morning in the majority of the seats. Till 11 in the morning, it looked like BJP was going to comfortably win the majority seats needed to form government in Karnataka. The situation, towards the afternoon, became bittersweet for the BJP which still is emerging as the single largest party in the state but might just fall short of obtaining a clear majority. The magical figure of 113 seats needed to form government in the centre is looking elusive for BJP as of now. The Congress has admitted defeat before the final results and in order to save face has declared that it is willing to support JDS. It was already being predicted that JDS might get to play the role of kingmaker in the Karnataka elections. Its strong presence in Karnataka has enabled JDS to maintain a lead on 30-40 seats. BJP has already won 78 seats in the counting according to ECI and is leading on 26 others out of a total of 222 seats on which elections were held. BJP needs a master strategist today to help it win Karnataka and BJP President Amit Shah might just be the man that BJP needs.
Congress has still not stopped playing dirty. The same JDS which Siddaramaiah left to join Congress and had often publically derided is now the apple of Congress’ eyes. Congress will not stop playing dirty and we might have to wait to find out what the reply of JDS to Congress’s offer will be. One thing which has become clear is that Congress is desperate to sit on the ruling side of the Karnataka Vidhan Sabha. The Congress has started its game. A Congress delegation led by G Parameshwara tried to meet the Governor earlier today. They were unceremoniously turned back owing to BJP’s emergence as the single largest party in the counting process.
It is important to know that in case no party emerges as a clear winner in the state, the preference for forming government goes to any party or parties which had a pre-poll alliance and combined together could cross the mark. JDS and Congress had fought against each other and there was open animosity between the leaders of the two parties. This means that the claim of forming government at the state passes on to the single largest party i.e. BJP. The Karnataka Governor’s refusal to meet the Congress delegation is a clear stamp on BJP’s emergence as the single largest party. Congress and Siddaramaiah, the old-prodigy-turned-enemy of JDS leader H D Devegowda ,will leave no stone unturned to play dirty.
Bengaluru: A Congress delegation led by G Parameshwara, who had gone to the Governor's House, did not get entry, turned back. #KarnatakaElections2018 pic.twitter.com/kR3D7DDCvh
— ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018
The onus of solving BJP’s troubles has once again fallen on the shoulders of the ever dependable Mr. Amit Shah. BJP President Amit Shah has led the BJP to comfortable wins countless times in the past. His election strategies and post election tactics have ensured the saffron wave in India. Amit Shah has once again come to the rescue of BJP in Karnataka where it is falling by a very short margin. Amit Shah and his novelty tricks might once again ensure clear win for the BJP and it is the reason why he has arranged for three BJP MPs Prakash Jadvekar, Jagat Prakash Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan to head to Bengaluru at the earliest. They will assist and guide the BJP state leaders in order to form the government in Karnataka. According to the latest reports, Amit Shah has been able to convince two independent candidates to pitch support to the BJP. News reports also mentioned that several JDS and Congress MLAs are already holding talks with Amit Shah and other leaders today. If reports are to be believed, the magic of Amit Shah might yet again deliver the results for BJP. In another interesting turn of events, Congress heavyweight DK Shivkumar is believed to be leading a group of around 10 MLAs (mostly from the Congress) and this group might swing either sides.
Amit Shah understands that Congress will not hesitate to indulge in anti-constitutional activities in order to retain Karnataka, the last bastion for Congress in Southern India. Amit Shah is not a novice in the political game and he is capable of pulling off every trick in the book in order to make BJP win. His abilities are beyond questioning and his record speaks for itself. If it was BJP you were rooting for till now in the Karnataka elections, you need to keep calm and trust captain Amit Shah.