K'taka bypoll: Shah greets BSY over BJP's performance

BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday greeted Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddiyurappa for the saffron party's stellar performance in the December 5 Assembly bypolls to 15 constituencies. He assured that the ruling BJP will "continue to transform" the southern state under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance. BJP National General Secretary P Muralidhar Rao, blaming Congress leader Siddaramaiah for "the entire problem" in Karnataka, demanded that the former Chief Minister quit politics after the 'humiliating' performance.

In a tweet, Shah lauded Yeddiyurappa, Karnataka BJP chief Nalin Kumar Kateel and party workers for the "resounding victory" in the hustings, where the BJP won 12 of the 15 Assembly seats where the bypolls were held last week. "I thank (the) people of Karnataka for their unwavering faith in BJP. Our government will continue to transform Karnataka under the guidance of PM @narendramodi ji," he said in the tweet. The ruling BJP on Monday swept the Assembly by-polls in Karnataka winning 12 of the 15 seats to help the four-month- old Yediyurappa government retain majority, in a morale booster for the saffron party after its recent setback in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, Rao told reporters here that the voters of Karnataka had given the mandate for a stable government with clear majority for the next three and a half years. He said the saffron party's next focus will be on expanding its presence in South India. Taking on Siddaramaiah, he said the former chief minister had predicted a loss for the BJP though the results have proved to be otherwise. "Now I challenge Mr Siddaramaiah.. he was saying that BJP will lose. Now, if he has any moral authority and if he wants to retain his moral credentials, he should take rajakiya sanyasam, he should take political renunciation," he said. "The entire problem, crisis happened only because of Congress and Siddaramaiah," Rao said without elaborating. Earlier, Siddaramiah had resigned as Karnataka Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, taking moral responsibility for the party's poor show in the assembly bypolls.