New Delhi: As many as 12 of 26 ministers in the outgoing BJP government in Karnataka have lost their seats in this week’s assembly election.
According to Election Commission data, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Major-Medium Irrigation and Water Resources Govind Karjol lost BJP stronghold Mudhol to the Congress’ Ramappa Balappa Timmapur by over 17,335 votes. Karjol had been winning the seat consecutively since 2004.
Transport Minister B. Sreeramulu lost to the Congress’ B. Nagendra from Bellary by 29,300 votes, while V. Somanna, the Minister for Housing and Infrastructure Development, lost to Congress leader and former CM Siddaramaiah from Varuna. He also lost the second seat he contested from, Chamrajanagar, to the Congress’ C. Puttaranagshetty.
Law Minister J.C. Madhuswamy lost to the Congress candidate from Chikkanayakanahalli, by over 10,000 votes. Agriculture Minister B.C. Patil lost by 15,000 votes from Hirekerur.
Minister for Youth Empowerment and Sports K.C. Narayangowda not only lost from Krishnarajpet, but came third after the Congress and the JD(S). Narayangowda got 37,793 votes, while the winner — H.T. Manju of the JD(S) — got 79,844 votes. Narayangowda had quit the JD(S) to join the BJP in 2019.
Other ministers who lost include Nirani Muragesh Rudrappa (Large and Medium Industries) from Bilgi, K. Sudhakar (Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education) from Chikkaballapur, M.T.B. Nagaraj (Minister for Small Scale Industries) from Hosakote, B.C. Nagesh (Education) from Tiptur, Shankar Basanagouda Patil (Textiles) from Navalgund, and Halappa Basappa Achar (Geology and Mines) from Yelburga.
Minister Anand Singh’s son Siddharth Singh got a ticket from the Vijayanagara constituency but lost to Congress candidate H.R. Gaviyappa by more than 33,000 votes.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s big winners included Chief Minister B.S. Bommai, who defeated the Congress’ Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan by over 35,978 votes from Shiggaon, and Revenue Minister R. Ashoka, who defeated the Congress’ V. Raghunatha Naidu in Padmanaba Nagar by over 55,175 votes. The revenue minister also contested from the Kanakapura constituency but came at the third spot with 19, 602 votes. Congress’s D.K. Shivakumar won from the seat securing 1,42,156 votes.
BJP leaders who not only managed to retain their seats but won with big margins include Education and Information Technology Minister Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayan and Excise Minister K. Gopalaiah. While Narayan defeated the Congress’ Anoop Iyengar by 41,302 votes from Malleshwaram, the Congress’ S. Keshavamurthy lost to Gopalaiah by 51,165 votes from Mahalakshmi Layout.
Public Works Department Minister C.C. Patil won by over 1,791 votes from Nargund. Prabhu Chauhan, Minister for Animal Husbandry, got 80,533 votes in Aurad.
(Edited by Anumeha Saxena)