Karnataka's outgoing Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who led the party's campaign in the recently concluded assembly elections, told NDTV today that the Congress started its campaigning early and the BJP messaging went awry in the state. The BJP, which was ruling the state, won 66 of the 224 assembly seats. The Congress won 135 and HD Kumaraswamy's Janata Dal Secular 19 seats. Asked what were the lessons drawn from the results, Mr Bommai listed three reasons for the Congress victory. The people, he said, were "swayed by freebies".