Bengaluru: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won all four legislative council seats in Karnataka on Wednesday, with the BJP retaining its three and its ally Janata Dal (Secular) wresting the Bengaluru Teachers constituency from the ruling Congress in a hard-fought battle.
The MLC poll results will have no major bearing on the health of the Congress government in the state, but the BJP framed it as a “clear message” to the Congress on the issue of Special Intervestite Revision of voters’ list and ‘vote chori’.
“BJP–NDA Sweep in All Four Karnataka Legislative Council Constituencies; Voters Deliver a Strong Political Message. Congress is not facing (a) Vote Chori, but a Trust Chori!” B.Y.Vijayendra, the state BJP president said in a post.
He added that both teachers and graduates delivered a fitting response to the “obnoxious political forces attempting to vitiate the political atmosphere in the state and the nation.”
The winning candidates are BJP’s SV Sankanur (West Graduates), KM Suresh (South-East Graduates), Shashil Namoshi (North-East Teachers) and JD-S’ AP Ranganath (Bengaluru Teachers).
The results come in the wake of SIR of electoral rolls in the country, and Congress-led Opposition’s allegations of en mass voter deletion under the exercise. The Opposition has also been seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, holding him accountable for what they call ‘vote chori’.
Heartiest Congratulations! 💐
BJP–NDA Sweep in All Four Karnataka Legislative Council Constituencies; Voters Deliver a Strong Political Message. Congress is not facing Vote Chori, but a Trust Chori!
EVM or BALLOT PAPERS, Karnataka rooted in the Guru-Shishya parampara, and a… https://t.co/FyM7QiSby1
— Vijayendra Yediyurappa (@BYVijayendra) October 28, 2026
The Congress has called for a mega rally at Delhi’s Ramlila maidan on November 1 to press for Kumar’s resignation.
Vijayendra said the results are a “strong response” to Congress leaders who have been waging a “disinformation campaign” against the electoral system.
“The manner in which voters have responded to Congress, which has been casting aspersions on EVMs and advocating ballot-paper voting, sends a clear message: whichever route you choose, our answer will remain the same!” Vijayendra said.
Vijayendra said the results were also an indication of which way the voters were thinking ahead of the 2028 assembly elections in Karnataka.
However, CM DK Shivakumar rejected any such extrapolation, saying the Congress defeated the NDA in previous byelections.
Also read: Sting operation on Karnataka CM? Shivakumar alleges bid to trap him, asks cabinet to be wary
‘Review, introspect and rectify’—Shivakumar
A total of 28 MLC seats went to the polls on 23 October in four states: Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar. In Karnataka, around 3.25 lakh voters delivered their verdict for the four MLC seats, dealing a blow to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar-led government.
Before the polls, the Congress held 38 out of the 75 seats in the upper house of the state legislature while the BJP held 24 and the JD (S) six. There is one independent and one Chairperson in the house. Five seats are vacant.
Although the Congress held majority of seats in both houses, it often cited its shortage of numbers in the upper house as a reason for the delay in passing key legislations.
Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Wednesday said that the results indicated the response of voters toward the state government’s “mismanagement, anti-farmer attitude and corrupt policies.”
“People are angry against this government, which is limited to verbal promises and slogans every day. The voters have expressed their anger in the form of votes against the anti-farmer land acquisition policy of Bidadi, the irregularities of the NICE (BMIC) project, the KPSC exam scams and the cheating of the youth and the sting operation cases initiated by the Chief Minister himself,” Kumaraswamy said.
The Congress conceded defeat. CM Shivakumar said the party expected to win at least two seats, and received a good number of votes but not enough to win a seat.
“People have given us a message that we have to review, introspect and rectify,” he said.
On the ballot paper controversy, he said that the Congress will come up with a new plan of action post 1 November.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
Also read: One in five voters disenfranchised in Karnataka as final SIR rolls show nearly 1 crore exclusions