Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge after casting his vote said the grand old party will register a thumping majority in Karnataka and that there "was no doubt" about it.
The ongoing second phase of Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka encompasses 14 constituencies. Accompanied by his wife Radhabai Kharge, the 81-year-old Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha participated in the voting process at a polling booth located in Basavanagara.
While speaking to reporters here, he said, "Things are good, good reports are coming from everywhere. Alliance partners (INDI Alliance) are getting strength in this third phase (nationally). Definitely in this phase too we will get good support from the people," he added.
Kharge mentioned that he has been casting his vote from Basavanagara in Kalaburagi since he became eligible for voting at the age of 21, which was the legal voting age at that time. "I never got it (polling locality) changed. When I became Minister, when I became opposition leader, KPCC (Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee) President, opposition leader in Parliament, I have never forgotten Basavanagara," he said.
Kharge's son-in-law, Radhakrishna Doddamani, is contesting as the Congress candidate from the Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) Lok Sabha segment. This constituency, which Kharge represented twice (in 2009 and 2014), saw him lose in 2019. Karnataka comprises a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The first phase of polling for the remaining 14 seats, covering most of the southern and coastal districts, took place on April 26th.