11 seats! Congress impresses under BJP rule

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: The Opposition Congress has every reason to smile over the results of the Legislative Council polls as the party won 11 of the total 20 seats which it contested while the BJP, which is the ruling party in the state could only muster 11 seats.

The Congress was not expected to give a tough fight to the ruling BJP which had the government machinery at its disposal and all necessary resources. The biggest game changer for the Congress which was in power when it won 14 seats in 2015, was the coming together of three CM aspirants, CLP Leader Siddaramaiah, KPCC President D.K.Shivakumar and Congress Leader in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge who campaigned in all poll-bound constituencies. Unity, hard work and grit helped the Congress give a shock to both the BJP and JD(S) in several constituencies.

Makes inroads

Unlike the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress made inroads into strong bastions of the BJP and JD(S). While the grand old party’s candidate and KPCC working President Salim Ahmed won in the first round of preferential votes counting in Hubballi-Dharwad twin seat constituencies, BJP candidate, Pradeep Shettar, a brother of former CM, Jagadish Shettar managed to win in the second round in the constituency. Likewise, the Congress defeated BJP’s Chief Whip in the Legislative Council, Mahantesh Kavatagimath in Belagavi with Congress candidate, Channaraj Hattiholi winning in the first round.

Lakhan Jarkiholi, brother of Gokak BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, won after the counting of second preferential votes. Districts in Mumbai-Karnataka like Dharwad, Belagavi, Gadag, Haveri are considered strongholds of the BJP where the Congress has made inroads. In Chikkamagaluru, sitting BJP MLC, M.K. Pranesh won against the Congress candidate by a margin of just six votes. The victory of Congress candidates in Kittur-Karnataka this region has rekindled hopes of party workers ahead of the 2023 Assembly polls.

A major boost for the Congress was the victory of its candidate in the JD(S) held Mandya district. Despite being ‘whitewashed’ in the 2018 Assembly polls, the Congress managed to win this seat by fielding Dinesh Guligowda, former special officer to Co-Operation and Mysuru District-in-Charge Minister S.T. Somashekar.

While it won 11 seats, the Congress lost in Ballari, Chitradurga, Uttara Kannada and Kalaburagi, considered its strongholds. But on the whole, Congress leaders are happy with the poll outcome which has come as a boost for the party to face the upcoming Zilla and taluk Panchayat polls to be held early next year. It has also given a message to party leaders that they must respect.