Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday, 16 October expressed strong confidence that National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates would sweep all four Legislative Council (MLC) constituencies in Karnataka, including the Karnataka West Graduates' constituency, citing what he described as mounting public anger against the state's Congress government.

Joshi made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Hubballi-Dharwad after campaigning for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Sankanoor, launching a multi-pronged attack on the Congress administration over power shortages, drought mismanagement, rising prices, and the ongoing sting operation controversy.

Power crisis and drought relief failures

Joshi alleged that Karnataka, once capable of generating surplus electricity, was now experiencing acute power cuts hitting farmers and rural communities. He accused the Congress government of failing to arrange adequate power through proper procurement and management.

On drought relief, he drew a sharp contrast between the previous BJP government's compensation structure and the current administration's response. The BJP government had, he said, provided ₹8,000 per hectare during excessive rainfall, ₹13,000 per hectare for dryland agriculture, and ₹25,000 per hectare for irrigated land. The Congress government, by contrast, had announced only ₹2,500 per farmer family — an amount he called wholly inadequate.

Sting operation row: Joshi demands SIT or court-supervised probe

Joshi weighed in on the sting operation controversy that has triggered a political storm in Karnataka, demanding a thorough investigation to identify those responsible. 'The investigation must reveal who has committed wrongdoing in the sting operation case. The truth must come out,' he said.

He called on the state government to either constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) or place the investigation under court supervision. Joshi noted that the current discourse had shifted to identifying those who recorded the sting, rather than probing the underlying allegations — a deflection he found troubling. He said action must be taken against all those found guilty, irrespective of political affiliation, adding that he held differing views with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on many matters but firmly supported a fair inquiry.

H.D. Kumaraswamy's health and political decency

Reacting to remarks by the Karnataka Home Minister about the health of Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, Joshi urged all political leaders to set aside partisanship when speaking about a colleague's health. He stressed that basic courtesy and human sensitivity must not be sacrificed for political point-scoring.

Rising prices, transport woes, and sugarcane farmers

Joshi accused the Congress administration of burdening ordinary citizens through price hikes on milk, diesel, transport services, and government certificates. 'The government is recovering from the people, through price hikes, the benefits it claims to provide through financial assistance,' he alleged.

He also flagged deteriorating conditions in state transport corporation buses due to spare parts shortages, urging the government to prioritise public transport maintenance.

On sugarcane farmers, Joshi said a committee headed by Professor Ramesh Chand had been formed to examine concerns over sugarcane prices, weight discrepancies, recovery rates, and related issues. He noted that the Centre's ethanol-blending policy had improved payment timelines for farmers and that ethanol procurement had risen significantly nationwide. He nonetheless urged the Karnataka government to fix a State Advised Price (SAP) for sugarcane and address outstanding farmer demands.

BJP's electoral confidence and national politics

Joshi argued that the upcoming MLC elections would serve as a barometer for future electoral contests in Karnataka, claiming the BJP was drawing strong support from graduates and other voter segments. He criticised the Congress's national strategy, alleging it had ceded ground in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar and had since been forced into tactical alliances with regional parties to survive politically.

He reiterated that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the BJP was prioritising national interests and deepening its organisational presence across states. With polls approaching, Joshi predicted that candidate Sankanoor would secure a comfortable win in the West Graduates' constituency — and that the NDA's clean sweep of all four MLC seats would signal the political direction ahead.