Strong undercurrent in favour of JD(S) ahead of Karnataka polls: H D Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru, Dec 11: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday said there is a strong undercurrent in favour of his party, especially in the rural areas, in the run-up to assembly polls in Karnataka likely to be held by April-May 2023.
The former chief minister also expressed confidence about JD(S) winning more seats than Congress and BJP in Bengaluru, during the assembly polls.
He was speaking after inducting more than 50 BJP and Congress leaders from Chamrajpet assembly segment here.
"In 2023 polls, people will decide. Some BJP friends have themselves confessed in secret that JD(S)' graph is increasing over BJP...looking at the response to my Pancharatna Ratha Yatre (statewide tour), it is clear that people in rural areas have decided to give power to JD(S) independently this time. There is a strong undercurrent in our favour," Kumaraswamy said.
Stating that the BJP and Congress have done several internal surveys regarding their prospects in the polls, he said: "According to BJP, which was giving us about 18-20 seats earlier, are now saying that if polls are held today, JD(S) will get more than 55 seats...but we are in with a mission of winning 123 seats."
'Pancharatna Ratha Yatre' is to inform people about a five-fold programme called 'Pancharatna' that the JD(S) plans to implement on coming to power, which include quality education, health, housing, farmer welfare and employment.
Hoping to form an independent government with majority, JD(S) has set a target of winning at least 123 seats in the 224 member assembly.
Kumaraswamy had earlier headed a coalition government with both national parties in the past, for 20 months with BJP from February 2006, and with Congress for 14 months after the 2018 assembly polls.
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Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
