A few hours ago, I congratulated Ananth Kumar, on his victory in Bengaluru South.
This was a hard-fought campaign. I am deeply grateful to the voters who voted for me, for your faith in me. To those who did not vote for me, I regret that I was unable to win your support in the election.
We’ve been part of a historic democratic exercise. 55 crore Indians cast their vote across the country - this is the largest election turnout in world history.
I respect the choice that voters across the country have made, and I want to thank the Election Commission for its hard work, in ensuring that the process ran smoothly.
I want to thank the Congress Party, for their faith in me as a candidate. I joined the Congress on March 9, and I was entirely new to electoral politics. Yet the Congress leaders were incredibly supportive, and the leaders were united in their efforts for this campaign.
I want to thank the best team of party workers, the volunteers, and staff I could have had. Thousands of you knocked on doors, took part in events and made telephone calls, taking time away from family and from work to deliver our message. And I am especially proud that the campaign we ran was a passionate, energetic, and also a clean one.
Finally, I want to thank all the people of Bengaluru who participated in this election. Regardless of the result, this campaign delivered a powerful message, through the voices it raised and the votes it received. The demand for a better city has been heard.
Thousands of you reached out to us with your Ideas for Bengaluru. Rohini and I knocked on hundreds of doors. We met thousands of Bengalurians at your homes, shops, colleges and schools, and places of business. My agenda in the coming years include the priorities that you shared with me.
I promise you today that I will work with every party and with every level of government to get the change we need. So let’s work to build a better Bengaluru.