Bengaluru, Oct 27 (PTI) In a setback to the Congress in Karnataka, the JD(S) on Tuesday wrested the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency from the ruling party, while its alliance partner, the BJP, was leading in the other three Legislative Council constituencies that went to polls, according to official sources.
The other three constituencies that went to polls on October 23 were the South-East Graduates’, West Graduates’ and North-East Teachers’ constituencies. Counting was still underway in these three constituencies.
In the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency, JD(S) candidate A P Ranganath, backed by the BJP, defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna, who sought re-election, by a margin of 908 votes. Ranganath secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna’s 9,902, a press release said.
In the South-East Graduates’ Constituency, BJP candidate K M Suresh was leading against Congress nominee Shashi Hulikunte Mutt. In the North-East Teachers’ Constituency, Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur was trailing behind BJP’s sitting MLC Shashil G Namoshi, who sought re-election, officials said, citing the latest update.
In the West Graduates’ Constituency, sitting BJP MLC S V Sankanur was also leading against Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai, they said.
The contest was seen as a test of coordination between the BJP and JD(S), which are alliance partners, as well as the Congress’s support base among teachers and graduates.
The BJP held three of the four seats and was on course to retain them if the trends held, while the JD(S) succeeded in wresting the Bengaluru Teachers’ Constituency from the Congress.
The Bengaluru contest was significant as Puttanna had switched from the JD(S) to the Congress ahead of the previous Assembly elections. Both Puttanna and Ranganath belong to the Vokkaliga community.
The election was also seen as a test of whether the two Opposition alliance partners could transfer their support to each other’s candidates.
The Congress had sought to retain its lone seat and make gains in the other constituencies. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president B K Hariprasad, ministers and senior party leaders campaigned across the constituencies.
Though the results were not expected to affect the stability of the state government, a strong showing by the Opposition alliance would provide it with political ammunition against the Congress government, which came to power in 2023.
The 75-member Legislative Council currently has 38 Congress members, 24 from the BJP, six from the JD(S), one Independent and Chairman Saleem Ahmed. Five seats earmarked for government nominations are vacant.
The Congress is expected to increase its strength when the vacancies are filled, limiting the impact of the election results on the overall balance of power in the House. PTI KSU SSK
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