National Desk, 13 May: President of the Karnataka Congress D K Shivakumar on Saturday sobbed as he recalled his time in jail in 2019 when the party was on the verge of forming the next government. He also acknowledged the contributions of the party’s cadre and members. Choking with emotions, Shivakumar said, “I can’t forget Sonia Gandhi visiting me in jail…when BJP people put me in jail.”
The Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) chief spoke to reporters saying, “I credit my cadre and all my party leaders, they worked hard. People have lent faith in us, they supported us. It is a collective leadership and we jointly worked. I said in the beginning, joining the party is beginning…the day I took the oath, thinking together is progress, and working together is success.”
Recalling his time in jail in 2019 for over 50 days in ED custody in connection with an alleged money laundering case, he said, “I had promised Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver the state to their fold. When these BJP people put me in jail, I remember Sonia Gandhi came to meet me there. Such is the faith the party, the Gandhi family and the whole country bestowed on me.”
Shivakumar further said that he will again address the media and party workers after some time. “I thank all the MLAs in the state, including Siddaramaiah. Every leader who worked from block to the booth level, including my AICC leaders and general secretaries. I have a lot of things to tell, but I will come later and meet you all at Bharat Jodo Bhavan,” he said.
According to the Election Commission of India, the Congress party has increased its lead in the assembly election counting with victories in two seats and a lead in 128 additional seats. Shivakumar was also in the lead with a significant margin of over 64,000 votes in the Kanakpura district.
In a setting of strict security, the vote-counting for the recently concluded elections in Karnataka started at around 8 am. The exit polls had shown a hung assembly with others predicting a majority comeback for Congress. In the 224-seat state assembly, a party must obtain the majority threshold of 113 votes in order to establish a government.