NDA wins all 4 Karnataka MLC seats, setback for ruling Congress

The results provide fresh ammunition to the Opposition to target the Congress government and strengthen the BJP-JD(S) alliance’s claim that the ruling party is losing support among key sections of the electorate.

Bengaluru: The BJP-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance has swept all four Karnataka Legislative Council seats in the teachers’ and graduates’ constituencies, dealing a significant political setback to the ruling Congress. The BJP won three seats, while the JD(S), backed by the BJP, secured the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency, leaving the Congress without a victory in any of the four contests.

The results provide fresh ammunition to the Opposition to target the Congress government and strengthen the BJP-JD(S) alliance’s claim that the ruling party is losing support among key sections of the electorate.

In the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency, JD(S) candidate A.P. Ranganath defeated sitting Congress MLC Puttanna by 908 votes. Ranganath secured 10,810 votes against Puttanna’s 9,902. Although Puttanna led in the first round of counting, Ranganath moved ahead in the second and third rounds to secure victory.

After receiving his election certificate from returning officer Aditya Amlan Biswas, Ranganath said the verdict had answered questions raised by those who doubted the reliability of electronic voting machines.

The BJP retained the North-East Teachers’ constituency, where Shashil G. Namoshi defeated Congress candidate Sharanappa Mattur. Namoshi secured 15,596 first-preference votes against Mattur’s 12,299, winning by a margin of 3,297 votes. The winning quota was 14,191 votes. Of the 30,253 votes polled, 28,380 were valid and 1,873 were rejected.

In the West Graduates’ constituency, BJP candidate S.V. Sankanoor registered a hat-trick by winning for the third consecutive time. He polled 33,711 votes, comfortably defeating Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai, who secured 24,388 votes.

The BJP also captured the South-East Graduates’ constituency through K.M. Suresh, who defeated Congress candidate Shashi Hulakunte Math. Suresh secured 66,020 votes, while his Congress rival received 42,922 votes. The constituency recorded 20,076 invalid votes.

The sweep is politically significant for the Congress because the four seats represent teachers and graduates, voter groups that often focus on education, employment and governance issues. The results are likely to be highlighted by the BJP and JD(S) as evidence of dissatisfaction with the state government.

Union Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy welcomed the outcome with the message “Satyameva Jayate”. He said falsehood, misgovernance, money power and muscle power had suffered defeat, describing the verdict as the beginning of a new dawn of hope.

For the BJP-JD(S) alliance, the victories offer an opportunity to project electoral unity and challenge the Congress politically. However, the results in these four specialised constituencies alone cannot be treated as a definitive measure of public opinion across Karnataka. They nevertheless constitute a clear setback for the ruling party in these Legislative Council contests.