Karnataka bypolls 2018: People voted for secularism, says DK Shivakumar

On Tuesday, as Karnataka by-election results trickled in and the Congress-JD(S) alliance stormed to a victory, all eyes were on veteran Congress leader DK Shivakumar, who has been the party's go-to man for all crises sundry. Be it keeping the Congress-JD(S) flock together following a hung Assembly earlier this year, or securing a Rajya Sabha win for Ahmed Patel, Shivakumar is the man who delivers.

"The people have voted for security, for secularism and for development. The party made me the election in-charge and it was my duty to deliver," he said.

The elections, which had become a matter of prestige for both sides after an acrimonious post-poll situation, was in a way a personal matter for Shivakumar. "The BJP had said that these seats will be the trend-setter, so we had no option but to fight, most importantly to ensure that the the democracy is not lost. BJP has provoked me several times but I have still carried on with my work peacefully and maintained a cool mood. The common man should not suffer due to divisive politics," he said.

However, despite the good mandate, he said, the Congress should start preparations for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "Even though this is a short election and we have the people's mandate, we will need to be cautious," he said.