Prime Minister and BJP leader Narendra Modi addresses during a party meeting after party’s performance in recently concluded Karnataka Assembly Polls at party headquarters in New Delhi, on May 15, 2018.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the Mamata Banerjee government over violence in the panchayat polls in West Bengal, the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress called it “outbursts of frustration”.

“People weren’t allowed to file nominations. People from all parties except one ruling the state have suffered. Workers of these parties were killed. This is serious. A land as great as West Bengal had to see such things. It is unfortunate,” Modi said.

He was addressing workers at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s central office in the national capital after the party emerged as the single-largest party in the Karnataka Assembly polls.

“Where is the spirit of democracy?” Modi asked.

“It is not just about winning elections. All political parties, including civil society and judiciary, must play an active role to strengthen the democratic spirit,” he added.

“I don’t want to blame anyone. I am only worried about democracy,” the Prime Minister said.

Responding to Modi’s remarks, Trinamool Congress on Tuesday said the Prime Minister’s comments were “outbursts of frustration”.

“He should know that BJP goons killed 10 Trinamool workers in the panchayat polls. No BJP worker was killed. On Wednesday, repolling in 568 booths (will take place). So, why is this fake news being spread? Very unfortunate,” said party’s website attributing the remarks to Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee.

“They were dismayed because of not being able to win in Karnataka. Without knowing the details, it does not reflect well for the PM to make such comments.

“Most of the murders and violence have been carried out by PM’s own party. Let BJP control their own party first!” he said.

At least 10 people were killed and more than 50 injured on Monday in violence during the West Bengal panchayat polls.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday submitted his resignation to state Governor Vajubhai R. Vala following the defeat of the ruling Congress in the May 12 assembly elections, said an official.

“Though the governor accepted Siddaramaiah’s resignation, he asked him to continue in the post till the formation of the new government,” an official of the Chief Minister’s Office told IANS.

Siddaramaiah submitted the resignation letter to Vala when he visited Raj Bhavan in the evening after the poll mandate, and offered party’s support to the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) for forming the new government.

Of the 222 assembly constituencies, the BJP won 104, the Congress 78 and the JD-S 38.

Election to two assembly segments in Bengaluru were postponed due to electoral malpractice in one (Rajarajeshwari Nagar) and countermanded in Jayanagar following the death of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contestant B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4.

Although Siddaramaiah lost in Chamundeshwari in Mysuru by a huge margin of 36,042 votes to JD-S sitting legislator H.T. Deve Gowda, he won from Badami in Bagalkot district, defeating BJP’s B. Sriramulu by a slender margin of 1,696 votes.

At least 16 persons have been killed and another four are trapped under rubble after a spam of an under-construction flyover collapsed in Varanasi — the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official said on Tuesday.

The mishap took place in front of the local Cantt railway station. Two dozen persons have been injured in the incident, a police official said.

Many cars have been buried under the heap of rubble, district officials said, adding that the death toll could go up once the operation to clear the debris is completed.

The flyover was being constructed by the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar informed that seven NDRF teams comprising 325 men have been deployed at the mishap site. “16 dead bodies have been recovered so far and three persons have been pulled out alive from under the debris,” he told IANS, adding adding that three-four people could still be trapped.

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a three-member committee comprising Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) Raj Pratap Singh, Irrigation Chief Engineer Bhupendra Sharma and Rajesh Mittal, the Managing Director of UP Jal Nigam, to probe the incident and submit a report within the next 48-hours.

The team has been asked to immediately leave for Varanasi and hold investigations.

Varanasi District Magistrate Yogeshwar Ram Mishra said for now their prime focus is on rescue and relief work.

Work on the flyover between Chauka Ghat bus stand and Lahartara had been initiated during the regime of the Samajwadi Party (SP).

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has mourned the loss of lives in the mishap and directed officials to ensure prompt rescue and relief, a state government spokesman informed.

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has already left for the site of mishap, he said.

A compensation of Rs 5 lakh each has been announced for the families of dead and Rs 2 lakh for those critically injured in the mishap.

Dubbing the BJP performance in Karnataka as “extraordinary”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the state’s people gave a befitting reply to the Congress.

Addressing party workers at the BJP headquarters here, Modi took a dig at the Congress, saying that a perception was created by the party which ruled the country for so many years that the “BJP is a party only of Hindi-speaking states”.

“Are Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Assam, and northeast states Hindi-speaking states? No, the BJP represents whole of India. The people of Karnataka gave a befitting reply to those who tried to create such a perception and spread misinformation about us,” said Modi.

The Prime Minister said a perception was also created that language was a barrier for him in Karnataka.

“There was no barrier between the people of Karnataka and me. Language was never a barrier for me. I will always cherish the affection I received from them.

“This kind of politics is very harmful for the country.”

Attacking the Congress, Modi said that “No one could have imagined that in this election, Congress would indulge in activities that would hurt India’s constitution only for its political interests.”

He also said that it had come to light that the ruling party (Congress) in Karnataka resorted to various other routes to “murder democracy”.

“I want to thank the people of Karnataka and also our party ‘karyakartas’. They have worked so hard in the elections. Our national President Amit Shah ji also worked very hard and has proved that hard work always pays,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that the BJP will not lag behind in ensuring a bright future for Karnataka. “I assure the people of Karnataka that we will always work for its people,” said Modi.

Bengaluru: JD(S) leader H D Kumarswamy with outgoing Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state president G Parameshwara arrive to address the media after meeting Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan, in Bengaluru on May 15, 2018.
The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) is reconciled to accept Congress support to form the new government in Karnataka due to the JD-S’s commitment to secularism, a party leader said on Tuesday.

As party supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda is committed to secularism and wants to work for the minorities, the JD-S would be comfortable in forming the new government in Karnataka with Congress support, JD-S Spokesman Ramesh Babu told IANS here.

“The Congress and BJP are both sides of the same coin and we wanted to maintain equidistance from both, but we are not keen on the BJP as its chief ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa went to jail on graft charges.”

“We have thus agreed to take Congress support to form the new government after a fractured verdict thrown up by the results,” he added.

Asked if it would be a JD-S-led coalition government, Babu said it was premature to say so, as the party’s core committee would decide on the form and structure of the government in consultation with the Congress.

Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, G. Parameshwara and Mallikarun Kharge are meeting Kumaraswamy to discuss the government formation,” added Babu.

Of the 222 constituencies where polling was held on May 12, the BJP won in 101 seats and was leading in three, while the Congress won 78 and JD-S won 37 seats.

JD-S ally Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has won one seat.

Elections in Raja Rajeshwari (RR) Nagar in Bengaluru southwest was postponed to May 28 and countermanded in Jayangar in Bengalur south following the death of BJP candidate and MLA B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4.

“Though the BJP has emerged as the single-largest party with 104 seats, it does not have the numbers to form the government, as it is still eight short of the halfway mark of 112,” Babu reasoned.

On the consent of JD-S supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Babu said the party’s state President H.D. Kumaraswamy had agreed to the Congress support ostensibly to keep the BJP out of power in the southern state.

“As JD-S and Congress have the numbers (38+78), which is over the 112 halfway mark, we should be allowed to form the government to prove majority on the floor of the house,” the JD-U leader said.

Hoping that the BJP would not do backdoor politics to regain power and respect the combined numbers the two parties have got, Babu said Kumaraswamy had agreed to the Congress offer, as the Supreme Court had allowed parties with majority to form a government if the single-largest party (BJP) did not have enough seats.

“Kumaraswamy said ahead of the elections that whichever party implements the JD-S manifesto would get its support in case of a hung verdict,” Babu said.

As a regional party, the JD-S has agreed to the Congress support to safeguard the state’s interests, especially of its farmers, women and the poor.

Kumaraswamy became the Chief Minister in February 2006 with BJP support and headed the first coalition government in the state for 20 months till October 2007.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday thanked people in Karnataka who had voted for the party in the assembly polls and said the party will fight for them.

In a tweet, he also thanked party workers for their dedication and hard work.

“A big thank you to all those who voted for the Congress in these elections. We appreciate your support and will fight for you. Thank you also to our workers and leaders for their dedication and untiring hard work in support of the party,” Gandhi said.

The assembly poll threw up a hung verdict with Congress winning 78 seats, 26 less than the BJP, though it polled a larger number of votes. The Janata Dal-Secular won 37 seats.

Gandhi had declared before the elections that Congress will win the assembly polls “hands down”.

The party’s tally saw a dip of 44 seats compared to the 2013 elections when it had won 122 seats.

With the results out, Karnataka Governor Valubhai Vala has granted appointments to the two claimants to power – BJP and the JD(S)-Congress combo to decide who finally emerges victorious in the Karnataka Assembly elections. BJP’s CM face BS Yedyurappa is at the Governor’s House for the meeting along with Ananth Kumar. He said he is happy with the verdict and will form the government as the BJP is the single largest party in Karnataka. JD(S)’s HD Kumaraswamy, who has been backed by the Congress to be CM, will meet the Governor at 5.30pm. HD Kumaraswamy had written a letter to the Governor, saying he has accepted the support from Congress, and would like to meet him between 5.30 and 6pm today. The Congress has said that if the Governor does not invite the JDS-Congress combo to form a government, they would move the court. The joint tally of the combo is 118, six clear of the halfway mark.

BJP’s chief ministerial face B.S. Yeddyurappa on Tuesday mocked the Congress party for being “desperate” to grab power by exploring an alliance with Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) despite being “rejected” by the people of the state.

“The people of the state have rejected Congress and voted for a change. People are moving towards ‘Congress-mukt’ (Congress-free) Karnataka. Despite being rejected, Congress is desperate to grab power,” Yeddyurappa told reporters here.

Anti-incumbency against the ruling Congress government was so strong that outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah himself lost from Chamundeshwari seat in his home district of Mysuru, Yeddyurappa pointed out.

According to the Election Commission (EC), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has so far won 85 seats and is leading in 19 of the 222 Legislative Assembly seats out of the total 224 constituencies in the state. The party is eight seats short of the 112 seats required to win a simple majority.

The BJP’s national leaders will decide on the party’s course of action in the event of a hung Assembly, Yeddyurappa said.

The Congress, on the other hand, has won in 58 seats and leading in 20.

Congress General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told the media in the company of outgoing Chief Minister Siddaramaiah that the JD-S had accepted the Congress offer of support.

“We will meet the Governor and stake claim (to form a government). Our numbers put together will be more than the BJP’s,” Azad said.

Outgoing Congress Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday won the Badami Assembly seat in Bagalkot district but lost in Chamundeshwari in Mysuru.

According to results declared by the Election Commission, Siddaramaiah won in Badami by a narrow margin of 1,696 votes over BJP’s B. Sreeramulu.

He lost to Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) rival G.T. Deve Gowda in his home district of Mysuru by a huge margin of 36,042 votes.

Earlier in the day, Siddaramaiah was reported to be trailing in both the constituencies.

In Badami, he led initially, but then fell behind Sriramulu. However, finally, he prevailed over his BJP rival.