Council poll verdict signals voters’ preference for BJP govt. in 2028 Assembly elections: Vijayendra

BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

Hailing the victory of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates in all four constituencies that went to the recent Legislative Council elections, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra on Wednesday claimed that the results were a clear indication of voters’ preference for the BJP in the 2028 Assembly elections in Karnataka.

Addressing a press conference in Mysuru, Mr. Vijayendra asserted that no force could prevent the BJP-led NDA from forming the next government in the State.

Crediting the victory to the concerted efforts of workers of the NDA constituents — the BJP and the JD(S) — he claimed that each of the four Legislative Council constituencies covered 35 to 40 Assembly segments. He interpreted the verdict as a message that voters in 120 to 130 Assembly constituencies wanted the Congress government to be removed from power.

Alleging that the Congress government had failed to fulfil the promises made to the people ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, Mr. Vijayendra said the electorate had conveyed that it was ready to support the BJP.

“The people of the State want the Congress government to be dissolved. Our party workers are ready to face elections at any time,” he said.

He said the BJP had consistently campaigned against the Congress government and succeeded in shaping public opinion against it.

Claiming that the Council poll results were also a rebuff to what he termed “petty political forces” attempting to vitiate the political atmosphere in the State and the country, Mr. Vijayendra said the verdict was a firm response to the Congress’s allegations of vote theft and its opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Referring to the Congress’s campaign against Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and its advocacy of ballot paper voting, he pointed out that the recent Legislative Council elections had been conducted using ballot papers, but the Congress had suffered a defeat.

He urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other leaders of the INDIA bloc to accept the principles of genuine democracy and a transparent electoral system and respect India’s constitutional framework.

Sugarcane farmers

On the ongoing protests by sugarcane farmers in the State, Mr. Vijayendra claimed that sugarcane cultivation generated revenue of more than ₹15,000 crore for the State government.

The State government should first provide an additional support price of ₹500 per tonne to sugarcane farmers before blaming the Union government and seeking assistance from the Centre, he said.

Referring to the Congress’s campaign against the SIR, Mr. Vijayendra said the BJP would launch a State-wide campaign to counter it, including padayatras in all district headquarters on November 5.

Published - October 28, 2026 07:38 pm IST