Guarantee schemes did not help us in LS polls: Congress MLA

Bengaluru, June 8 (IANS) Karnataka Congress MLA H.C. Balakrishna on Saturday said that the guarantee schemes have not helped the party to garner votes in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.

“There are many reasons for our defeat. The guarantee schemes have not helped us much in the elections. The people have decided that our guarantees are not needed. I am not in a position to decide whether to continue or stop the guarantees,” Balakrishna told media persons. He said that the Cabinet would take the decision on whether to continue the guarantee schemes or not. “In Bengaluru Rural, people voted for the BJP, considering the new face. Leaders such as late former PMs Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have also suffered defeats,” he said.He added that PM Modi also was facing a setback in the first few rounds on the day of counting.“Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar ensured our victories in the assembly election. However, we failed to make his brother win in the Lok Sabha polls,” he said.Meanwhile, the Ramnagar Congress MLA Iqbal Hussain said that women voters did not support the party in the Lok Sabha elections.“We did not expect the defeat in Bengaluru Rural. The voters will realise only in a few months,” he said. The Congress could only manage to win nine out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. –IANS mka/dan