'Nafrat Ka Bazaar Band Hua, Mohabbat Ki Dukaanein Khuli Hain': Rahul After Karnataka Win

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hailed the party's performance in the Karnataka assembly polls, saying 'nafrat ka bazaar' has closed down and 'mohabbat ki dukaanein' have opened in the state.

"I thank and congratulate the people of Karnataka, party workers and leaders," Gandhi said at a press conference here.

"I am happy we contested the Karnataka polls without using hate, bad language. We fought the polls with love. In Karnataka, 'nafrat ka bazaar (market of hate)' has closed down', 'mohabbat ki dukaanein' (shops of love) have opened," he said.

According to the Election Commission website, the Congress was leading 40 seats as of 4.30 pm. It requires 113 seats in the 224-member assembly to form the government in the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, was leading 19 seats.