Karnataka bypolls indicative of 'changed mood' in country: Congress

New Delhi: Buoyed by the party’s good showing in the Karnataka bypolls, the Congress on Tuesday said it was indicative of the “changed mood” in the country.

The Congress and the other progressive and pluralistic forces had “vanquished” the Bharatiya Janata Party in the last 10 bypolls in the country, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said at a press conference.

“Today, the news from Karnataka is extremely encouraging…This is indicative of the changed mood in the country,” Tewari said.

In an emphatic endorsement of Karnataka’s ruling JD(S)-Congress coalition by the voters, its candidates Tuesday won both the assembly constituencies and two of the three Lok Sabha seats in the bitterly fought by-polls held on Saturday.

The by-election results have come as a major setback for the main opposition BJP ahead of the 2019 elections with the party losing the Ballari Lok Sabha seat, considered a stronghold of the controversial mining barons — the Reddy brothers.