KOLKATA: As BJP is set to form the government in Karnataka, murmurs of dissent have emerged against how the Congress managed the election.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who has been at the forefront of a federal front consisting of regional parties, tweeting that the results would have been very different if the Congress had allied with the JD(S).
Congratulations to the winners of the Karnataka elections. For those who lost, fight back. If Congress had gone into an alliance with the JD(S), the result would have been different. Very different
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) May 15, 2018
The Congress that believed that a combination of factors will propel it to victory once again combined with Siddaramaiah’s enemity with the JD(S) leadership had not even considered a pre-poll alliance. Even after polling, the Congress stayed away from making any grand gestures asking the JD(s) to join them.
With Siddaramaiah losing one of the two constituencies he is contesting from, his detractors within the party will swoop in soon. Apart from apportioning blame to Siddaramaiah for miscalculating the Lingayat sentiment and the anti-incumbency factor against the Congress, there will be dissatisfaction on the party not striking a post poll alliance with the JD(S).
West Bengal has recently been in news after 12 persons were killed in widespread violence during the Panchayat election with post poll clashes continuing to rock parts of the state on Tuesday.
Post poll violence was reported from parts of Howrah district where bombs were hurled in at least 20 houses during a clash between Trinamool Congress workers and BJP activists.
With IANS inputs