Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
Credit: PTI photo
Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar sensationally claimed on Sunday that some leaders from the BJP and JD(S) had helped Congress candidate C P Yogeshwar to emerge victorious in the Channapatna bypoll.
“People of all parties helped us. Congress had only 16,000 votes in the previous Assembly polls. It increased a bit in the Parliamentary polls. Several JD(S) and BJP leaders have also helped us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have got these many votes,” he said while speaking to reporters.
Going a step further, Shivakumar quoted former BJP deputy chief minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayana.
“Yesterday, Ashwath Narayan said he knew that Yogeshwar would win. Is he foolish? He was the district in-charge minister and deputy chief minister. He knew the pulse of the people. Where have the BJP workers voted? I won’t talk about it,” he said.
Shivakumar was keenly interested in the byelection and had repeated many times that he was the candidate. A day before the counting, he had said: “I am the candidate, it’s my face.”
‘Burdened by debt’
Shivakumar said they were “burdened by the debt” due to the bypolls, adding that they would fulfil the Channapatna people’s aspirations.
“Before going to Belagavi (the winter session of the Legislature is scheduled to start on December 9 there), I and Yogesh (Yogeshwar) will go there. Ramalinga Reddy (district In-charge minister) had a leg operation and he is taking rest. We will review the issues and ask officials to get going. The work should happen
first.”
‘No credit for Apoorva sahodararu’
When asked who would pocket the credit for the Channapatna victory, the deputy chief minister was sarcastic. “Not the ‘Apoorva Sahodararu’ at least. The credit goes to all our leaders and the voters.”
He was referring to former prime minister H D Deve Gowda’s election-time jibe at his and his younger brother D K Suresh.
‘GTD not alone’
Responding to a statement by Chamundeshwari MLA G T Devegowda (GTD) that he would join the Congress if people wanted it, Shivakumar said: “That’s his opinion. He is not alone. There are many in the BJP too (who want to join Congress).”