After N-E, it's Karnataka's turn now to finish off Congress: PM Narendra Modi

New Delhi, Mar 4: The BJP feels the victories in the north-east, especially in Tripura, will boost its chances in Karnataka and the mood was echoed by both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah on Saturday.

Speeches of Modi and Shah during the victory celebrations at BJP headquarters here, as well as press interaction by the BJP chief, showed that they have no qualms in linking it to the upcoming polls in Karnataka. The BJP expects that it could dethrone Siddaramaiah-led Congress government riding on the latest victory and bury the setback it received in Gujarat polls. The Tripura victory would give more ammunition to the BJP to target the ruling Congress in Karnataka. In the coming days, Modi and Shah are expected to spend more time in the state.

While Modi said by June the Congress rule would be restricted to Puducherry, Shah too expressed confidence in a BJP victory in Karnataka. "I said in Puducherry earlier that the Congress is finished in North East. Now, it is the turn of Karnataka (to finish Congress in the state). I said in Punjab, the Congress chief minister does not listen to leaders in Delhi and vice versa," Modi told party workers.

The first to fire was Shah who said the "historic" results in Tripura was a signal to the Karnataka polls as well as the Lok Sabha elections. He also put Karnataka among those targets before he can say that his party has entered the golden era.

"We will definitely win Karnataka. We are confident. But, I will not say that we have entered the golden period of the party till we win Odisha, Kerala and West Bengal," Shah, who was received by a cheering crowd at the newly-built party headquarters, told a press conference in the afternoon.

Later in the evening, the salvo Shah told the crowd at the party office, "under the leadership of Narendra Modi, our 'digvijay rath' has now won the North-East and it will now enter Karnataka. The mandate is against the Congress and it has been thrown out from North-East."

Modi also focussed on Karnataka during his speech for some time as well as setting the tone for the cadres by repeatedly referred to violence against party workers in Karnataka and other states. He said the sacrifices of these workers who were murdered will not go in vain and public will vote BJP to power in Karnataka and elsewhere.