Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday was one of the first political leaders to react to the dramatics results from Gorakhpur and Phulpur, where the BJP suffered humiliating defeats.
Siddaramaiah tweeted, “BJP has suffered humiliating loss in the Lok Sabha seats held by the CM & DyCM of UP. Congratulations to SP & BSP for this historic victory. Unity among the non-BJP parties has played a key role. Perhaps Yogi Adityanath should spend less time lecturing Karnataka on development.”
BJP has suffered humiliating loss in the Lok Sabha seats held by the CM & DyCM of UP. Congratulations to SP & BSP for this historic victory. Unity among the non-BJP parties has played a key role.
Perhaps Yogi Adityanath should spend less time lecturing Karnataka on development.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) March 14, 2018
Interestingly, Delhi Chief Minister and the Aam Aadmi Party chief, Arvind Kejriwal, too was quick to share his Karnataka counterpart’s scathing tweet.
Later, the Karnataka Congress attacked the BJP’s chief ministerial face for the upcoming state elections, H Yeddyurappa, asking him to show ‘some self-respect.’ It said, “Mr. Yeddyurappa, at-least now, show some self respect, and stop bowing to an outsider who can’t even win his own seat!”
Mr. Yeddyurappa, at-least now, show some self respect, and stop bowing to an outsider who can’t even win his own seat!
#KannadaSwabhimana pic.twitter.com/pK2raRdkea
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) March 14, 2018
This was in connection with the saffron party’s attempts to project Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as one of its star campaigners in the coastal southern state. During his previous visits to Karnataka, Adityanath had indeed lectured the Siddaramaiah government on development while also raking up the issue of Hindutva. On Wednesday, Adityanath was left red-faced as a 29-year-old Samajwadi candidated, supported by Bahujan Samaj Party, ended the 29 years of BJP dominance in Gorakhpur.
Also, adding insult to BJP’s injury was West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who said that the former’s defeats in Gorakhpur and Phulpur was the ‘beginning of the end.’ She wrote, “Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawati Ji and @yadavakhilesh Ji for #UPByPolls The beginning of the end has started.”
Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawati Ji and @yadavakhilesh Ji for #UPByPolls The beginning of the end has started
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 14, 2018
The BJP had never lost Gorakhpur since 1989 with Adityanath himself representing the seat for record five times.