Thank people for giving us an opportunity to serve them: Amit Shah

As the Congress cruised past the halfway mark in Karnataka on Saturday, heading for a resounding win in the Assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who headlined the BJP's campaign in the state's along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thanked the people for giving his party an opportunity to serve them for so many years.

Taking to Twitter, the Union Minister said, "My sincere gratitude to the people of Karnataka for giving the BJP the opportunity to serve them for so many years."

"The BJP under the leadership of PM @narendramodi Ji will continue to strive for the welfare and development of the people of Karnataka," he added.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Congress party on its win in the southern state.

The Congress won an absolute majority in Karnataka on Saturday, crossing the halfway mark of 113 seats in the 224-member Assembly midway through the counting process.

According to the latest trends in Karnataka, the Congress has won 135 seats and was leading in 1 while the BJP has won 6 and leading in 1.

"Congratulations to the Congress Party for their victory in the Karnataka Assembly polls. My best wishes to them in fulfilling people's aspirations," PM Modi tweeted.

kM Modi also thanked the supporters and the BJP

"I thank all those who have supported us in the Karnataka elections. I appreciate the hard work of BJP karyakartas. We shall serve Karnataka with even more vigour in the time to come," he tweeted.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hailed the party's victory in Karnataka saying the people of the state defeated the politics of hate.

Addressing reporters at the Congress headquarters in the national capital, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress stood in support of the poor. "The poor defeated crony capitalists in Karnataka. What I really liked about this election is that we did not fight the battle with hatred. We fought the elections with love," he said.

KI want to thank all the party leaders and workers in Karnataka.