The Karnataka BJP party has set an ambitious target of winning all the 28 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The state party president, BY Vijayendra, stated that the voters of the state are ready to teach the Congress government a lesson. In the previous parliament elections, the BJP won 25 seats, while the Congress and JDS won one seat each.

The BJP is planning to launch a campaign themed “enough of guarantees, we want development” to emphasize the deteriorating finances of Karnataka after the Congress came into power. The campaign is likely to be launched by the end of this month and will be a part of the BJP’s strategy for the Lok Sabha polls.

Vijayendra criticized the Congress government, stating that the state’s financial health had deteriorated due to the incompetence of the Congress. He accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of failing in resource mobilization. The BJP intends to highlight the fact that development work has stopped due to lack of funds and that most revenues are being used for implementing guarantee schemes.

The Congress government had allocated Rs 52,800 crore for fulfilling its pre-poll promises, which accounted for around 3% of the GDP. These promises included free bus travel for women, free electricity for households, rice supplies to low-income families, stipend for recent graduates, and unemployment stipend. However, the Congress party has faced criticism from the BJP and JDS for conditional implementation of guarantees and offering freebies for votes.

The BJP had previously criticized the government for compromising on development due to lack of funds. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s statement that the state did not have enough development funds had drawn ire from the BJP. The Congress also faced opposition from its own MLAs and MLCs who couldn’t provide funds for projects in their constituencies.