Cong will get absolute majority in Karnataka: Veerappa Moily

Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said today his party would retain power in Karnataka with absolute majority, but was non-committal on whether Siddaramaiah would continue as the chief minister.

The former union minister also ruled himself out of the race for Chief Ministership, and slammed the BJP for raking up the issue of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's Italian origin.

"Congress has excelled in performance in the last five years, delivered on all pre-poll promises, and there is no anti-incumbency factor against it," Moily told PTI in a telephonic interview.

"We will win with absolute majority. We already have 137 MLAs (in the 224-member Assembly), including seven who have come from JDS and another six or seven independents. We will easily get 147 to 150 (seats in the May 12 Assembly polls)," he said.

On whether Siddaramaiah would then continue as the chief minister, Moily gave a guarded reply.

"Congress President Rahul Gandhi and the party high command have made it clear that the party will fight the elections under Siddaramaiah's leadership," Moily said, adding that it was for the people and the media to draw inferences.

Asked if the party's central leadership would take a call on the Chief Ministership, Moily said, "We have a set procedure in the Congress party. We will adhere to it."