Bagalkot/Davanagere: With four days left for campaigning to end ahead of the April 9 bypolls, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar Saturday said Congress is headed for a decisive win, driven by strong public response to the state govt’s guarantee schemes.He said the schemes — Shakti, Gruha Lakshmi, Gruha Jyoti, Yuva Nidhi and Anna Bhagya — have resonated with voters. “Both Bagalkot and Davanagere South are very positive. Congress workers are doing an excellent job, going door to door and convincing people about the guarantee schemes,” the state Congress president told media.“People want the guarantees to continue as they are expressing difficulties due to rising prices,” he said, adding, “There is a strong sense that we will win with a bigger margin than before.”Meanwhile, BJP MLC CT Ravi accused CM Siddaramaiah of being responsible for a major share of the state’s Rs 8.3 lakh crore debt. He claimed over Rs 5 lakh crore had been accumulated in debt during Siddaramaiah’s tenure, with borrowings at Rs 90,280 crore in 2023–24, Rs 1.1 lakh crore in 2024–25, Rs 1.2 lakh crore in 2025–26 and Rs 1.3 lakh crore in 2026–27.Ravi said nearly 60% of the borrowing in the past eight years was under Siddaramaiah, while previous chief ministers accounted for 40%. “Now tell me, is it not right to call you ‘Saalada (debtor) Ramayya’?” he said.
