Bengaluru: Karnataka Vidhana Parishad or MLC election results have come as a huge relief for the ruling Congress party in the state. In the prestigious election to 25 seats (districts), the Congress has won 13 seats. The main opposition BJP has won 6, the JDS has managed to secure just 4 seats. The Independents have won in 2 seats. Before the ticket distribution, the Congress position was looking precarious as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was battling internal rebellion against his leadership. Somehow, he managed to give tickets to most of his followers and all of them have won. It will certainly strengthen his position. The BJP, which was hoping to deal a major blow to the Congress, is disappointed with its performance. The worst sufferer is the JDS of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda.
In a very significant development, the BJP has lost former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa’s bastion of Shimoga district to the Congress. The sitting BJP MLC RK Siddaramanna was pushed to third place here. Siddaramaiah follower and R Prasannakumar has won the seat by defeating the JDS candidate in Shimoga. Yeddyurappa did not campaign much in his district as he was upset with party candidate Siddaramanna.
In HD Deve Gowda’s fiefdom Hassan, JDS has suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Congress. In top Congress leader M Mallikarjuna Kharge’s bastion Gulbarga district, the BJP has dealt a body blow to Congress by winning the seat by a huge margin. In Kolar district, represented by former Union Ministers M Veerappa Moily and KH Muniyappa in the Lok Sabha, the JDS has won by defeating the Congress. It is now being seen as the defeat of the leaders cutting across party lines.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has managed to secure his hometown Mysore district for the Congress. The Congress has also won Bangalore City District. The BJP rebel and former Union Minister BR Patil Yatnal has won Bijapura district by pushing the BJP to third place.
Former chief minister N Dharam Singh’s son Vijay Singh has won on Congress ticket from Bidar district. Former MP KC Kondaiah of the Congress has won from Bellary district. The Congress has also won Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Bangalore Rural, Chitradurga, Dharwad, Bijapura, Raichur districts. The BJP has won Bijapura, Dakshina Kannada, Gulbarga, Chikmagalur, Kodagu and Dharwad districts. Dakshina Kannada, Mysore, Bijapura, Dharwad and Belgaum districts elect two members each.
An elated Siddaramaiah described the victory as a mandate for the Congress. The BJP has downplayed the setback saying that it has retained its strength in the upper house of the legislature. The JDS which was hoping to win at least 5-6 seats is in shock over its humiliating defeat in Hassan. The Gowda family feud is said to be the reason for the drubbing in Hassan.
Crucial Taluk Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat elections are going to be held in February – 2016.
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