MLC polls: BJP wins 3 seats, JD(S) bags 2, Cong gets 1

The BJP has won three out of the six seats in the biennial elections to the Karnataka Legislative Council from Graduates’ and Teachers’ constituencies.

The JD(S) emerged second by winning two seats, while the Congress has come a distant third by securing just one seat.

Elections to the six seats — three each from the graduates and teachers constituencies — were held on June 8.

While results of South Teachers’ constituency and South East Teachers’ constituency were announced on Tuesday, results to the four other constituencies were delayed as counting went on till the wee hours of Wednesday.

The BJP captured the Bengaluru Graduates’ constituency, South West Graduates’ constituency and the South East Teachers’ constituency.

In Bengaluru Graduates’ constituency, BJP candidate A Devegowda defeated Congress’ Ramoji Gowda by 3,864 votes. Devegowda polled 16,702 votes, while Gowda bagged 12,838 votes.

BJP’s Ayanur Manjunath won the South West Graduates’ constituency by defeating Congress candidate S P Dinesh. Manjunath secured 25,250 votes, while Dinesh garnered 16,157 votes.

BJP’s Y A Narayanaswamy, who had unsuccessfully contested from the Hebbal Assembly constituency, defeated JD(S)’s sitting MLC Ramesh Babu in the South East Teachers’ constituency.

Shock defeat

The BJP, however, recorded a shock defeat in North-East Graduates constituency.
The Congress registered a surprise win here, with its candidate Chandrashekar B Patil beating BJP’s K B Srinivas by a narrow margin if 321 votes.

The Congress wrested the seat from the BJP, which had held it for the last three decades.

While Patil secured 18,768 votes, Srinivas got 18,447 votes.

The BJP has also lost the South-West teachers’ constituency as its sitting MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik suffered a defeat to JD(S) candidate S L Bhoje Gowda. Gowda secured 8,647 votes.

The regional party’s sitting MLC Marithibbe Gowda retained the South Teachers’ constituency, by defeating his nearest rival M Lakshmana of the Congress.