Nikhil Kumaraswamy celebrates major electoral milestone
CH NEWS, BENGALURU In a stunning electoral sweep that has sent shockwaves through the state's political landscape, the BJP-JD(S) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has secured a resounding victory in all four Karnataka Legislative Council constituencies, completely shutting out the ruling Congress party. The high-stakes biennial elections encompassed two Teachers' constituencies and two Graduates' constituencies, drawing 43 candidates and witnessing massive participation from educated voters across the state. The definitive results underscore a major political setback for the Congress administration, which had aggressively campaigned across all four seats, while cementing the growing electoral synergy of the opposition alliance. In the closely watched Bangalore Teachers' constituency, incumbent Legislative Council Deputy Chairman and veteran Congress candidate Puttanna suffered a dramatic defeat after a historic five-term winning streak. JD(S) legal wing state president and former Bangalore Advocates' Association chief A.P. Ranganath, contesting as the unified NDA candidate with full BJP backing, clinched victory by polling 10,810 preference votes against Puttanna’s 9,902. Across the remaining three legislative zones, alliance candidates dominated the tallies. In the North-East Teachers' constituency, senior BJP leader Shashil Namoshi successfully defended his seat by defeating Congress rival Sharanappa Mattur by a comfortable margin, polling 15,596 votes against Mattur's 12,299. Similarly, in the West Graduates' constituency, BJP’s Prof. S.V. Sankanur secured 25,338 votes to comfortably best Congress candidate Mohan Limbikai, who managed 18,600 votes. The fierce electoral contest in the South-East Graduates' constituency witnessed a high-volume turnout, culminating in a debut victory for BJP candidate K.M. Suresh. Suresh routed his Congress opponent, Shashi Hulakuntemath, by securing 66,020 votes compared to 42,922. Out of 3.43 lakh eligible electors across the four zones, over two lakh one thousand votes were cast. Reacting to the clean sweep, prominent leaders from both the BJP and JD(S) hailed the outcome as a monumental endorsement of the opposition alliance's grassroots strength, projecting the results as a bellwether indicator for the upcoming 2028 Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections. Conversely, ruling party circles have acknowledged the unexpected rout, prompting intense internal discussions and calls for immediate political introspection.
