With the BJP bagging three seats in the Karnataka by-polls and having a substantial lead on another nine, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday thanked the voters for reposing their trust in the party and added that it will lead to a stable government for the remaining term of the state Assembly.
"I am happy that people have given a very good verdict. Now, without any problem, we can give a pro-people and a stable government for the next three and a half years in Karnataka," Yediyurappa told reporters here.
The Chief Minister added that with 12 new MLAs coming to the Assembly a cabinet expansion is on the cards.
"Narayan Gowda has enabled our victory from the Krishnarajapete Assembly constituency and he will soon be a member of the cabinet. Similarly, other ministers too will be inducted in it after I meet the central leaders in Delhi this week," Yediyurappa said.
"My aim is to get more than 150 seats in the next Assembly elections for BJP," he added.
While BJP candidates have been declared as winners from the Yellapur, Vijayanagara and Chikkabllapur constituencies, its candidates are leading on 9 others out of the total 15 seats which went to polls.
Shivaram Hebbar of the BJP beat Bhimanna Naik of the Congress by over 31 thousand votes on the Yellapur seat while Dr K Sudhakar won from the Chikkaballapur constituency beating Congress' M Anjanappa by over 34 thousand votes.
On the Vijayanagara seat too Congress' VY Ghorpade lost to BJP's Anand Singh by upwards of 30 thousand votes.
The BJP candidates are also maintaining a good lead in the Ath, Kagwad, Gokak, Hirekerur, Rbennur, K.R.Pura, Yeshvanthapura, Krishnarajapete and the Mahalakshmi Layout seats.
Yediyurappa also thanked the party's workers and supporters for the victory and said that it had ensured the victory of the candidates by a tall margin.
"Because of the efforts of our workers and leaders, our candidates were able to get victory on 12 seats by a huge margin, in most of the seats by a margin of over 30 thousand votes," Yediyurappa said.
( With inputs from ANI )