Responding to a tweet by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah which said that the Rahul Gandhi has established an instant connect with the youth of the state, the BJP predicted that the ruling party will suffer a humiliating defeat in the May 12 polls.
Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge indicated that despite Siddaramaiah leading the party's poll campaign in the state, he may not be retained on the post. The Congress is yet to officially name Siddaramaiah as its CM candidate.
The Karnataka chief minister accused the central government of deliberately targeting his party leaders and asked why no action was being taken against BJP leaders like Yeddyurappa and Jagdish Shettar.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will be contesting from Badami seat from where the party had earlier given ticket to Dr Devraj Patil. Siddaramaiah is also contesting the May 12 elections from Chamundeshwari seat.
Earlier, Siddaramaiah had said that he would soon take a final call for the Badami seat after consulting Congress President Rahul Gandhi.
Party workers took to the streets in parts of the state to protest the selection of candidates, alleging nepotism as Congress has retained 103 of its 122 candidates instead of giving preference to new faces.
Lingayats/Veerashaivas are said to form about 17 per cent of the population, wielding a decisive clout in about 100 constituencies, particularly in north Karnataka
Though the party has not announced any chief ministerial candidate, it has named Siddaramaiah as its face.
Gandhi freely mingled with commuters in the Metro train as he travelled from the station at Vidhana Soudha, the state secretariat, to M G Road.
“Amit Shah is a Jain. He needs to clarify first whether he is AHINDU. Jain is a separate religion. How can he talk about me like that,” Siddaramaiah had said.
"In a slip of tongue, I said that Yeddyurappa government is corrupt instead of Siddaramaiah's and the entire Congress party started to rejoice. I want to tell Rahul Gandhi, that I might have made a mistake but people of Karnataka will not," he said.
Addressing the Congress' plenary session here, Siddaramaiah said the upcoming state polls will work as a "big boost" and a "stepping stone" for the party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Adityanath had urged the people of Karnataka to make it "Congress-free" as the party was "unable" to bring development to the state.
The 'Naada Dwaja' (state's flag) in hues of yellow, white and red, has the state's emblem 'Gandaberunda' or the two-headed mythological bird, at its centre.
"There is no anti-incumbency in the state. "That's why we are confident and we will come back," the Karnataka chief minister said.
"It's Prime Minister Narendra Modi who runs a '90 per cent commission sarkar' in Delhi. He should prove the charge that our government takes 10 per cent commission," Siddaramaiah said.
With months left in high-stake Karnataka Assembly polls, the war of words between Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his competition Yeddyurappa is taking Twitter by storm.
Nalapad, General Secretary of Bengaluru District Youth Congress, is the son of Shantinagar MLA N A Harris.
The final electoral rolls from the 224 assembly constituencies of the state are scheduled to be released on February 28.
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