Siddaramaiah predicts Congress victory in by-elections

Addressing a large rally in Hirebendigeri, Siddaramaiah stated, “We will win in Sandur, Shiggaon, and Channapatna.”

He criticized the BJP’s track record, saying, “To date, the BJP has never held power with a majority in the state. Since they have never received a majority, they have resorted to buying Congress MLAs to seize power through the backdoor.”

Siddaramaiah contrasted the BJP's and Congress's approaches to fulfilling promises, claiming that the BJP has only fulfilled around 10 percent of its commitments made during elections, while the Congress has delivered on 158 out of 165 promises.

“We are prepared for public discussions on this with documented evidence at any platform,” he asserted, adding that “this is an election between the Congress, which has acted as promised, and the BJP, which has faltered in its commitments.”

With the Congress currently holding 136 seats, Siddaramaiah emphasized that electing Congress candidates in the by-elections would "accelerate the development" of the constituencies.

The Chief Minister also took a jibe at former CM Basavaraj Bommai, remarking, “What kind of person is Basavaraj Bommai? He claimed he would not contest the Lok Sabha elections, yet he took a ticket and contested. He said his son would not contest in the by-elections, yet his son Bharat has received a ticket. This is the nature of Bommai,” he ridiculed.

Taking aim at Prime Minister Modi, Siddaramaiah criticized Modi’s frequent speeches on family politics.

"Prime Minister Modi gives long speeches about family politics. However, here, SR Bommai's grandson, Baavaraj Bommai's son has got BJP ticket. Likewise, he (Modi) has embraced Deve Gowda, HD Kumaraswamy, and HD Revanna, who have engaged in family politics," he mocked.

“This is what Modi represents. He does not follow through on his words; he only goes around making speeches,” Siddaramaiah said, listing unfulfilled promises.

Touching on the Waqf issue, he noted, “The BJP itself announced in its manifesto that it would remove encroachers from Waqf Board properties. During their term, they issued notices to 216 individuals. Now the same BJP is protesting against the actions they themselves took. What a drama they are playing!”