M A I N   N E W S

Cong stages strong comeback in Karnataka
Wrests 121 seats out of 225
Ruling BJP loses only bastion in South
Big gain for JD (S)
Shubhadeep Choudhury/TNS

Bangalore, May 8
The Congress is set to form government in Karnataka as it secured a simple majority in the Assembly following the counting of the votes today. Polling was held on May 5.

In the 225-member Assembly, including one seat reserved for a nominated member, the Congress candidates have registered victories in 121 constituencies — eight more than 113 seats required to claim majority in the Assembly.

The BJP, which emerged the single largest party in the 2008 elections having won 110 seats and had formed government with support from Independent MLAs, suffered humiliating defeat. The party could win only 40 seats.

The Janata Dal (Secular) led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, secured 40 seats, 12 more than the number of seats it won in 2008.

Shettar quits Jagadish Shettar has resigned as Chief Minister in the wake of his party’s defeat. Shettar won from Hubli-Dharwad (Central) with a margin of over 17,750 votes.

Yeddyurappa bites the dust Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) led by B S Yeddyurappa, who formed his own party by quitting the BJP after the saffron party’s high command refused to reinstate him as Chief Minister, secured just six seats. A big jolt to Yeddyurappa, his dream of playing a Kingmaker has come to a nought.

The Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) led by BS Yeddyurappa, who formed his own party by quitting the BJP, secured only six seats. Though Yeddyurappa retained Shikaripura seat, his dream of playing a Kingmaker in the event of a hung Assembly came to a nought. The KJP, however, substantially damaged BJP candidates’ prospects in the region where the Lingayats are present in good numbers.

The race for the Chief Minister’s post in the Congress seems to have narrowed down to the Leader of the Opposition of the outgoing Assembly Siddaramaiah and Union Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge. KPCC chief G Parameswar, who too, was a serious contender for the coveted post, lost to his nearest JD(S) rival by over 18,000 votes. D K Shivakumar, KPCC working president, is also making determined bid to become CM. Congress observers are expected to reach Bangalore to get feedback from the MLAs regarding their choice for the chief ministerial candidate. The Congress legislators will meet in the presence of the Central observers to pass a one-line resolution authorising Congress President Sonia Gandhi to choose Chief Minister.

Besides Parameswara of the Congress, other prominent losers were Anita Kumaraswamy, JD(S) nominee and wife of former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, and Shobha Karandlaje, KJP candidate considered close to the party chief and former CM BS Yeddyurappa. Deputy Chief Minister K Eshwarappa, a four-time MLA from Shimoga, was relegated to the third position in the same constituency as Congress wrested the seat from its nearest rival of the KJP.

At Sorab constituency in Shimoga district, Madhu Bangarappa, JD(S) nominee and younger of the two sons of former chief minister S Bangarappa, defeated his nearest rival from BJP H Halappa, accused in a rape case, by over 20,000 votes. Madhu’s estranged elder brother Kumar, a Congress nominee, finished below Halappa in the vote tally.

G Karunakara Reddy, the only Reddy brother contesting in the polls, also lost from the Harpanjalli constituency in Davangere district by about 8,000 votes to the Congress candidate. Reddy was the BJP nominee. Other mine owners such as B Sriramulu (BSR Congress), Anand Singh (BJP), Anil Lad and Santosh Lad (both Congress) won.