Bengaluru, Mar 11 (IANS): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, reacting to the BJP's victory in four out five state Assembly elections, has said that the time has come to ensure that the party emerge victorious in the state Assembly polls, due next year.
Participating in a function to celebrate the party's victory on Thursday, Bommai said that the Congress has been "sinking" everywhere and "it will sink in Karnataka too".
"The time has come to ensure that the BJP's lotus blooms in the 2023 Assembly elections," he said.
Assembly elections in Karnataka are to be held in May 2023 and Bommai has just completed his first six months as the state's Chief Minister.
"Our responsibility has increased. We have to work more actively to implement the welfare programmes announced in the state budget. I have already instructed the officials to prepare the files before the end of this month and get the work orders issued before the month of April," he added.
"Implementation of all the programmes will be started without any delay and it is our responsibility ensure that its benefits would reach to the common man," Bommai asserted.
Further, he asked the party workers to "aggressively" publicise the government's welfare programmes at booth level and help the people to avail the benefit of these programmes.
"We have resolved to see the lotus bloom and win the 2023 Assembly election by winning the hearts of the people through the public welfare programmes of our government and organisational strength of the BJP. We have taken a pledge to build a prosperous state by returning to power for the next 5 years."
"We will undertake a state tour with our senior leader B.S. Yediyurappa and Central leaders to further strengthen the party in every part of the State. We are already on the job," he said and called upon the party workers to be ready to work hard to bring BJP to power again.
Bommai also targeted the Opposition Congress party's dismal performance in all the five states, and said, "Congress has sunk in the rest of the country and it will sink in Karnataka too. Congress is fighting for survival. It has lost direction at the national and state level. It has lost its base all over the country."
"While BJP is fighting for a bright future of the country, Congress is fighting for existence. That is the difference. BJP has won in four states. We will win in Gujarat in the coming days. The victory of BJP in Karnataka is as true as Sun rising in the East," the Chief Minister asserted.