Basavaraj Bommai resigns as Karnataka CM, takes responsibility for party’s defeat

Following the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka assembly polls, state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai submitted his resignation to the state Governor Chand Gehlot at the Raj Bhavan on Saturday.

Bommai’s resignation comes after Congress registered a sounding victory by winning 136 out of 224 assembly seats. After tendering his resignation, Bommai said that he will take responsibility for the defeat of the saffron party in Karnataka.

The 63-year-old further said, Let the welfare of the people be ensured without destroying the economy. We will work efficiently as an opposition party. Defeat is a defeat. The introspection will be done and mistakes would be rectified, he added.

Speaking about the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Bommai stated that BJP is a national party and that they will together work towards nation-building instead of working on just one election. The Lok Sabha elections would come in another eight to 10 months. We will build the party. This result won’t count for the Lok Sabha election, he added.

The setback came despite a high-profile election campaign in the state led by prominent BJP figures such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP President JP Nadda.

The Congress campaigned at the local level, with Karnataka Congress head DK Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah leading from the front. Despite criticism for an electoral promise connecting Bajrang Dal to the banned organization Popular Front of India, the party was able to take control of the state.

With the triumph in the polls, all eyes are on the Congress, which is going to choose its next chief minister. The Congress legislative party meeting will be conducted on Sunday at 5:30 pm.