BJP wanted to hit one person, but was badly hit itself in the state, says Shettar after poll loss

BENGALURU: The Hubballi -Dharwad Central constituency was in the limelight during the election as prominent Lingayat leader Jagadish Shettar switched to Congress after being denied a ticket from BJP. Though the Congress fielded him, the BJP had vowed to ensure his defeat.

On Saturday, when the votes were counted Mahesh Tenginkai of BJP defeated Jagadish Shettar of Congress by over 32,000 votes. Earlier, Jagadish Shettar had expressed confidence about his win.

Jagadish Shettar said, “I had said earlier that the Congress will get absolute majority. I am not disappointed with losing the election. I could not win, but I will respect the decision of the people. BJP workers were bent on defeating me and have achieved it. But those who planned to defeat me have defeated the BJP in the state. The BJP wanted to hit one person, but itself got badly hit in the state. The BJP ignored the Lingayat community and now they can see its effect in Kittur Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka”.

“I will work for Congress and will be active in the party. I am 67-years-old now and I will be not in the election race after I turn 70. Let’s see what will happen in the future. The BJP will decline in the South India”, Shettar added.

“All this is happening because of the conspiracy of a few people. The Lok Sabha elections are coming up and the impact of the Karnataka polls will be felt across the country. The BJP had resorted to pressure tactics and created an atmosphere of fear. It has reached 65 seats even though there is Modi’s leadership and a BJP government at the Centre. I have not done revenge politics either. I have answered BJP’s ego and money power. It does not benefit me, but the BJP is not coming to power in the state. I never played revenge politics but the people have taught a good lesson for the BJP”, Shettar lashed out.