"A big thank you to all those who voted for the Congress in these elections. We appreciate your support and will fight for you," the Gandhi scion said on Twitter.

While BJP lost the battle it initially won, Congress at the last moment sought the defensive mode as it shook hands with the Janata Dal (Secular), to form the government.

Karnataka Election Results 2018 LIVE Updates: The early trends showed that Congress and BJP in a neck-and-neck fight, while JD(S) kept a distant third position, but soon the picture changed as BJP shot miles ahead of Congress, while JDS indicated a performance far better than expected by any exit poll or political pundits. 

Addressing a press conference on the issue, Sitharaman claimed that Chidambaram didn't disclose its investments to tax authority, violating Black Money Law, which was brought by Modi govt as part of its drive against black money and to prosecute those Indians who have secretly stashed illicit wealth abroad. 

Taking to Twitter, the Gandhi scion said that he enjoyed meeting the regional and national media at his "packed" press conference in Bengaluru and then took a jibe at the prime minister.

Recalling how, despite being an Italian by birth, Sonia Gandhi made sacrifices for the country, the Congress president said his mother has lived the larger part of her life in India.

Suggesting that the political equation may potentially change after the general elections next year, Akhilesh said that the new numbers will decide who will be the prime minister.

Addressing a press conference on the last day of the campaign for Karnataka Assembly elections, Gandhi rejected BJP's poll strategy of personal allegations and claimed that Congress will retain power in the state 'hands down'.

Karnataka Elections 2018: Congress chief Rahul Gandhi made tall allegations against PM Modi in a press conference in poll-bound Karnataka's Bengaluru on Thursday.

On the last day of campaigning, both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress are expected to go full throttle with extensive electioneering powered by a war of words.

Without taking name of Rahul Gandhi,, the prime minister alleged  that he was promoted by the party despite doing nothing.

Rahul Gandhi drew a comparison between the Siddaramaiah government and the previous BJP regime (2008-13) in Karnataka, with the help of figures to show that his party’s rule was better on all counts.

The Congress president pointed out that the BJP and RSS were able to function because the Indian youth are angry as the system was unable to give them jobs.

The Congress president on Tuesday indicated a clear possibility of him being the face of Congress party's campaign for 2019 general elections.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that the party whose flag once fluttered "from Panchayat to Parliament" will become "Punjab, Puducherry, Parivar" Congress after its impending defeat in Karnataka.

The BJP, in its manifesto released for Karnataka elections, made a plethora of promises to reach out to various sections --from farm loan waiver and other sops to farmers, freebies like laptops for students and smartphones for BPL women to a commission for cow protection.

Referring to the acquittal of Swami Aseemanand and four other accused in the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case, Amit Shah recalled how Congress and Rahul Gandhi had repeatedly mentioned “Hindu terror” in in the 2014 elections.

"The BJP Karnataka Manifesto, inspired by Narendra Modi, is a poorly crafted fantasy built around a weak plot, that has nothing unique to offer voters. If you’ve read the Congress Manifesto, don’t waste your time on this one," Rahul said.

Earlier in the day, the BJP released party's manifesto for the Karnataka Assembly polls and promised allocation of Rs 1.5 lakh crore for irrigation projects and waiver of farm loan up to Rs 1 lakh borrowed from nationalised and cooperative banks.

Rahul asked the JD(S) of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda to explain to the masses whether it was with the BJP or fighting the Karnataka elections independently.