Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, who heads a JMM-Congress-RJD alliance government in the state, has termed the Congress’s victory in Karnataka as a countdown to the end of the BJP rule in the Centre and the party’s divisive politics.

Taking to Twitter, Hemant said: “Phut dalo raj karo (divide and rule) politics countdown has begun. Congratulations to the people of Karnataka and Congress party for winning the Karnataka Assembly polls. Best wishes and Johar.”

Hemant had recently accused the BJP of fomenting communal tension for electoral gains. During a meeting with JDU supremo and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD leader and Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav in Ranchi earlier this week, Hemant had said like-minded parties would have to come together to defeat the politics of divisiveness and hatred spread by the BJP in the next parliamentary and state Assembly elections.

CPM state general secretary Prakash Viplav said the Karnataka result was a decisive verdict against the BJP.

“People of Karnataka have decisively rejected the BJP in the Assembly elections. This verdict also shows that the people have rejected the virulent communal propaganda conducted during the election campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself,” Viplav said.

CPI Ranchi district secretary Ajay Singh also termed it a countdown to the end of “BJP misrule”.

“The people of Karnataka need to be congratulated for upsetting the applecart of the country’s biggest fascist party with a decisive verdict. The BJP has come to power in the country by spreading lies and communal hatred and fomenting religious intolerance and has used corporate funds to usurp power through dubious means. However, this result has shown that the countdown for the end of the BJP rule has begun,” Singh said.

He said all Opposition parties should learn from the Karnataka Assembly result and remove the BJP from power in the 2024 general elections by remaining united and organising mass agitation.

Congress state executive president Bandhu Tirkey said the Karnataka Assembly elections were just a trailer and the party would form the government in the 2024 general elections.

“The Karnataka masses have given their verdict. In the same manner, the people of other states will give their verdict in the 2024 general election to uproot the BJP government from power,” Tirkey said.

Congress leaders and supporters distributed sweets and smeared colours on each other in different districts of the state to celebrate the party’s victory in Karnataka.