PM Modi's popularity is waning, Karnataka govt’s performance impacting Telangana polls: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Nov 28:  Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that the popularity of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "waning" in the country while contending that his government’s performance will impact the November 30 Telangana polls.

Taking to social media, Siddaramaiah said: "The effectiveness of our government's guarantee schemes has sparked extensive debate, causing concern among BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who fear defeat.".

Siddaramaiah also said that this election in Telangana is "not a simple Congress vs BJP battle" but "a showdown between the Congress's integrity and the BJP's falsehoods".

"The electorate is keenly aware of the Modi government's failure to fulfil even a fraction of its promises over nine years, diminishing the impact of PM Modi's campaign efforts in Telangana. The Karnataka Congress government's dedication to fulfilling its promises has significantly bolstered the Telangana electorate's confidence in the party's commitments. Leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjuna Kharge, the AICC President, have been successfully engaging voters by highlighting the 'Karnataka model' of governance in their public addresses," he said.

"Our party's diligent promotion of the achievements of both our previous (2013-18) and current governments in Karnataka has generated a wave of support. The Congress is perceived as a beacon of hope in Telangana, contrasting starkly with the unfulfilled promises of the state's BRS party and the central BJP government," he added.

Siddaramaiah said that Modi's waning popularity, evidenced in the Karnataka elections, foreshadows outcomes in Telangana and other states. The sidelining of regional BJP leaders by Modi and Amit Shah has left a vacuum of trust at the local level, he claimed.

"Telangana's voters have come to recognise the Congress's role in the state's formation and are disillusioned with the BRS's empty rhetoric and rampant corruption. I am very confident that this realisation sets the stage for Congress victory in the upcoming elections,” he opined.