Karnataka Legislative Council polls: BJP, Cong on equal footing; JD(S) bites dust

The BJP bagged 11 out of the 25 Karnataka Legislative Council seats whose election results came out Tuesday, leaving the ruling party with just one short of a simple majority in the upper house in what was a neck-to-neck fight that saw the Congress also finishing with 11.

The halfway mark in the 75-member Legislative Council is 38. The BJP now stands at 37.

The JD(S), Karnataka's regional party, suffered a big rout as it managed to win just two out of six seats it contested.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai heaved a sigh of relief, calling it "a good result". However, the fact that the Congress giving it a run for its money and the weakening of the JD(S) is a warning sign for the BJP in the run-up to the 2023 assembly showdown. Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah said the result showed "a pro-Congress" wave.

Also Read — MLC polls: Congress clinches Mysuru-Chamarajanagar, Mandya

Of the 25 local authorities' seats, the BJP has increased its tally from six to 11. "We have gained five seats. Obviously, that's a good result," Bommai said. "We expected to win 13-14. We will discuss the misses internally," he added.

The BJP's tally would have been 12 if it was not for a photo-finish in the Mysore-Chamarajnagar seat where JD(S) managed to win in the vote count that went late into the evening.

A big upset for the BJP was the defeat of government chief whip Mahantesh Kavatagimath in the twin-seats of Belagavi. "We really need to look into what happened here," Bommai said.

The plan to get Kavatagimath elected for one seat while using Independent candidate Lakhan Jarkiholi to defeat the Congress in the other seems to have backfired as it led to a split in the BJP's votes. Lakhan Jarkiholi ended up winning alongside Congress's Channaraj Hattiholi. What adds to the BJP's embarassment is that Lakhan is the brother of BJP MLAs Ramesh and Balachandra Jarkiholi.

Also Read — MLC Polls: BJP, Congress win a seat each in Dakshina Kannada constituency

The BJP has wrested Shimoga, Bangalore Urban, Bellary, Bagalkot and Uttara Kannada from the Congress, while retaining strongholds such as Dakshina Kannada (with its floor leader and minister Kota Srinivas Poojary) and Chikmagalur (with Council deputy chairman MK Pranesh).

However, it was not easy in Chikmagalur where Pranesh won by just six votes against Congress's Gayathri Shantegowda. The Congress is considering moving the court seeking invalidation of votes polled by nominated members, which could swing the result.

The Congress, which had 14 seats, is down to 11. "We're content, but not extremely happy with the result," KPCC president D K Shivakumar said, adding that he hoped 13-14 seats.

The JD(S) has much to worry. Its strongholds of Mandya, Tumkur and Kolar are now with Congress. This makes 2023 a two-party fight, political analyst Muzaffar Assadi said. "The results show a return of the Congress. The JD(S) is almost decimated now."

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