Day after Congress registered its thumping victory in Karnataka, ousting the BJP from its lone southern state, Sanjay Raut, took a sharp dig at the Modi govt. The outspoken leader said, defeat of prime minister Narendra Modi-led BJP in Karnataka shows that the ‘Modi wave’ is coming to an end, while the 'opposition's wave' is coming across the country.“The Modi wave is over and now our wave is coming across the country. Our preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has started, and today a meeting has been called under the chairmanship of (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar….we will discuss about the 2024 elections in this meeting and start preparing for it,” the Maharashtra politician said, according to ANI. The saffron party losing power in Karnataka, Raut further said, shows that citizens can defeat 'dictatorship.'
Meanwhile, after Congress registered a thumping victory in the Karnataka assembly election, the next question that arises is who would be the next chief minister. The contest between its two top leaders, Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar, for the chief ministerial post has intensified with their supporters on Sunday putting up posters in support of their respective leaders. Supporters of Siddaramaiah, who is a former chief minister of Karnataka, put up a poster outside his residence in Bengaluru, referring to him as 'the next CM of Karnataka'. Posters were also put up on Sunday outside the house of DK Shivakumar in Bangalore wishing him an advanced birthday which is on May 15 with writing in them - 'Birthday greetings to the new chief mnister of Karnataka'. The newly-elected Congress MLAs in Karnataka are meeting ib Bengaluru on Sunday evening to discuss government formation with leaders eliciting their views on the chief ministerial candidate. Leader of opposition in the outgoing assembly Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president DK Shivakumar are strong claimants and front-runners for the coveted post. The Congress legislature party (CLP) meeting is scheduled to be begin at 5.30pm today. The Congress had entered the campaign phase with the challenge of keeping at bay the factionalism, especially between the camps of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, who had been openly rooting for their leaders, but the party put a united front and ensured that no rift came out in open and derail its prospects, under the mentorship of AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge.