Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Congress, BJP maintain grip on Bengaluru, JD(S) loses presence

Voters in the state capital remained largely unchanged about their party and candidate preferences as the results saw both the BJP and the Congress retaining most of the seats they had won five years ago.

The BJP, which held 15 of the 28 seats in Bengaluru (excluding Jayanagar), won the same number of seats this time.

The party had heavily invested in Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who covered 21 constituencies over three different roadshows. While the party was able to retain its earlier seats, the Modi factor did not seem to have any impact on changing the hearts of those who hadn't voted for the BJP earlier.

Check latest updates on Karnataka elections here

However, the party faced a setback by losing Govindraj Nagar as the party changed the constituency of incumbent MLA V Somanna.

The Congress faced a tough battle in Bengaluru. Going into the election, the Congress had 12 seats in Bengaluru and it retained them.

The JD(S), meanwhile, lost the one seat that it had gained in 2018. In Dasarahalli, incumbent JD(S) MLA R Manjunatha lost to BJP's S Muniraju by a margin of 9,194 votes.

Those who lost and won

Among the interesting cases this election threw up was that of Congress' Dinesh Gundu Rao who won by a wafer thin margin of 105 votes against BJP's A R Sapthagiri Gowda.

Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy from Pulakeshinagar, who contested as a BSP candidate after being denied a ticket from the Congress, lost by a margin of 62,210 votes. He lost to Congress' A C Sreenivasa. In 2018, Murthy had won by a record margin of 81,000 votes on a Congress ticket.

Senior BJP leader Aravind Limbavali's wife Manjula was able to help the BJP retain the Mahadevapura seat by defeating Congress' H Nagesh. Limbavali was denied the ticket ostensibly due to anti-incumbency.

In Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Congress' H Kusuma gave a tough fight to Horticulture Minister Munirathna.

Former IPS officer Bhaskar Rao's poll debut resulted in a loss against Congress' B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan in Chamarajpet by more than 50,000 votes.

Outside Bengaluru, senior Congress leader K H Muniyappa ensured his entry into the Assembly by winning Devanahalli in a tight fight against JD(S)' Nisarga Narayanaswamy.

In Hosakote, Congress' Sharath Bachegowda won against BJP Minister M T B Nagaraj.